The Real Gunsmoke Blues
by Net Girl
Summary: Trigun & Cowboy Bebop. An unexplained incident in hyperspace throws the Bebop across the universe, into the future, and to planet named Gunsmoke.
1. We Are Floating In Space

Rating: PG-13 - curse words, adult themes.

Summary: An unexplained incident in hyperspace throws the **Bebop** across the universe, into the future, and to planet named Gunsmoke. _Cowboy Bebop_/_Trigun_ crossover.

Spoilers: It'd help if you saw every episode/session of both series'.

Disclaimer: _Cowboy Bebop_ characters belong to Sunrise, Bandai Entertainment, Shinichiro Watanabe et al., and their many, many well-paid lawyers.

_Trigun_ characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow, and his many, many well- paid lawyers. I am NOT making any money off this, nor am I trying to infringe on anyone's copyright. Believe that.

Song Disclaimer: Song titles (used as chapter titles, ala _Cowboy Bebop_'s session titles) are used without permission. Probably not a sue-able offense, but you gotta CYA (cover your ass) nowadays. Proper credit will be assigned, just in case.

Authors' Notes: In the CB-verse, this story is post "Speak Like A Child". In the _Trigun_-Verse, it's before "Demon's Eye". Pre-Legato, if you will. It's also my first time writing anything for the _Trigun_ characters. And, as for the merging of the universes, I only ask for your willing suspension of disbelief. I'm no astrophysicist, either, despite how much material I read on the 'Net before attempting this fic. Many thanks!

I'd like to thank Leah for beta'ing for me. If this fic sucks, I blame you!

Questions, Comments, Suggestions: Send to donnacsoprano76 AT yahoo DOT com. All flames are read, laughed at then deleted with extreme prejudice.

"The Real Gunsmoke Blues" By Net Girl

-

Chapter One: "Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space"

-

"Where is he?"

Jet Black turned when he heard Faye Valentine ask him the question. He half-smiled when he found the young woman standing behind the pilot's seat on the bridge of the **Bebop**, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed to slits. No doubt she was pissed off that they'd cut their latest trip to Earth short. Too bad.

"Where he usually is," he replied, turning back to his console. His eyebrows rose when he noted an odd fluctuation in energy output from the starboard engine. The abnormality was gone in a matter of seconds. Jet put it out of his mind and plotted their course back to Mars.

"Hmph," was all Faye said as she pivoted on her heel and headed for the main living area of the ship.

"Hey! Faye-Faye!" Ed exclaimed as she dropped, seemingly, out of nowhere, landing right in front of Faye. "Back already?" She hopped around the woman who continued to walk down the corridor.

Faye wasn't in the mood for Ed's silliness, not when she was trying to be pissed off at Spike Spiegel.

"We're goin' home," Ed said, unfazed by being ignored by Faye. Instead, she turned a few cartwheels. When she stopped, she was directly in Faye's path, forcing her to an abrupt halt.

"Would you get out of the way?" she growled, clutching her hands into fists.

"Okay!" Ed sing-songed in response. She made a graceful leap aside, allowing Faye to continue on her way. "You shouldn't be mad, though. Big, big money back on Mars!"

The mention of money made Faye stop in her tracks. One eyebrow arched as she looked over her shoulder to Ed. "Big money?"

"Yep, yep!"

She whirled around, grabbed Ed by her shirt and pulled the girl closer. "How much money are we talking about here?" she demanded. She'd lost quite a bit of her own at the dog races the week before. Funds were tight. But they were always tight for Faye.

"Ten million woolongs," Spike's voice replied for Ed.

Faye gritted her teeth when she saw the goofy grin on Edward's face. She released the kid then rose to her full height as she faced Spike. "Ten million, huh?" she repeated, casually. She watched him exhale the smoke from the cigarette dangling in his mouth. "Must be a tough one, then, huh? You're gonna need my help." She sighed as though the prospect was an interruption in her life. "I'll _have_ to insist on at least 50, no less."

After a moment, Spike just smiled, shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away from her. That woman was a piece of work. How she always _assumed _they needed her help. He and Jet managed fine before they'd had the misfortune of crossing paths with Faye Valentine.

Ed laughed and Faye growled as she glared at Spike's retreating figure. She looked down to Ed. "Why didn't you tell me that he was standing right behind us?" she snapped.

"You never asked!" Ed sang in reply. She danced in a circle around Faye, waving her arms over her head. "Aye! Faye-Faye!"

Faye's eyes darkened as Ed danced off down the corridor, headed for the bridge of the **Bebop**. "Lousy, annoying kid," she muttered.

In the living area, Spike laid on the couch, his hands folded together across his stomach as he rested. The still burning cigarette was propped on the edge of an ashtray. Only the hum of the ship's engines could be heard. The trip to Mars would provide much needed relaxation for him. The false lead on a bounty, the reason they'd even come to Earth, irritated him more than it should've. Probably because Faye had been the one to bring it to them. A wasted trip, that's what this was.

Faye peeked around the corner, then checked high and low to make sure Ed wasn't lurking about. That kid had caused her enough grief for the day. Locking her hands together behind her back, Faye casually strolled into the room, humming a tune. She came up behind the couch, glancing down at Spike lying there, apparently asleep.

"You can forget about fifty percent," Spike murmured, his eyes still closed. A moment later, one eye opened and focused on Faye looming over him. "_If _we even let you in on this one," he added with a cocky grin, then he closed his eye.

Hands on her hips, Faye leaned over the back of the couch. "Who got you Gage Dakota!" She jerked a thumb at herself. "_Me_. I was generous enough to share that seven million woolong bounty with you and Jet, too."

"Only because you felt guilty for losing us Aisha O'Donohue," Spike matter of factly replied.

"That was _not_ my fault!"

Sighing, Spike opened his eyes and sat up on the couch. He met the gaze of Faye, who continued to scowl at him. "It _was_ your fault. _You_ never listen, _you_ never do what you're told. Therefore, it was _your_ fault."

Faye gripped the back of the couch with both hands, her rage building up inside of her by the second. She needed that five million woolongs, and Spike needed his history corrected on the subject of Aisha O'Donohue. Her mouth opened so she could give him that lesson but the ship shimmied violently.

Surprise registered on their faces, then they looked up as the sound of metal yawning echoed throughout the spacecraft. Before either could say a word, the **Bebop** lurched, knocking Faye off of her feet. She landed hard on her butt.

"What the hell is that idiot doing up there!" she shouted.

-

Jet clenched his teeth together as he quickly punched the keys of the console nearest him. Warning alarms blared throughout the bridge. His gaze shifted between the console, the screens and the stars whipping by the windows as they passed through hyperspace. The engines weren't properly responding to the autopilot's commands and his attempts to go manual weren't registering with the ship's computers.

"Jet!" Ed called as she, along with Ein, stumbled onto the bridge. "Energy output on the starboard engine is wrong! Too much isn't good for **Bebop**!"

"I _know_!" Jet yelled back. He grunted when the ship shuddered again. The problem, whatever the hell it was, had spread beyond the engine. The jump into hyperspace was the catalyst for even bigger trouble. The reads on the screens were practically garbage, none of it made sense. The battle for control over propulsion was center stage. If he didn't keep his cool, the ship would be ripped apart.

Ed pointed to the display on one of the monitors. "A subspace anomaly is developing ahead of the **Bebop**." Her fingers clicked a few buttons, bringing up the pulsating image on the sensors. "Time and space are wacky- wacky! Out of sync!"

Ein barked at the anomaly on the display before him and Ed.

"We have to go around!" Ed replied to Ein with a firm nod.

Jet adjusted the ship's course the best he could but nothing responded with any degree of efficiency. The computer seemed to accept his numbers, however, he couldn't be certain his corrections would actually happen. His eyes widened when he finally saw the anomaly Ed alerted him to in front of the ship. The swirling mist continued to grow in size. In a matter of seconds, it would envelop the entire span of space in which they traveled.

He had no options left open to him. Throwing all the power in reserve to the engines, he pushed the **Bebop** towards the shimmering mass. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could punch through it. Suddenly, the swirl flashed, blinding the three on the bridge. Jet threw up one arm to shield his eyes while the other desperately tried to control the ship. A violent shockwave threw Jet out of the pilot's seat and onto the floor.

Ein yelped as he flew out of Ed's grasp and hit one of the consoles. Screaming, half in terror and half in glee, Ed ended up on the floor along with Jet and Ein. The **Bebop **was swallowed by the anomaly which exploded out of existence as soon as the ship passed into it. Anyone who traveled through the gate behind them would never suspect that anything had gone wrong here only a moment ago.

--

Somewhere in deep space ...

--

A flash of white light illuminated the vast black of space and spat out the battered ship called **Bebop**. As it had back in hyperspace, the anomaly vanished without a trace as soon as the vessel had passed through it. The **Bebop** remained stationary, dead in space, where it had been deposited.

Groaning, Jet pushed himself off of the floor. He flinched when one of the panels near him sparked. "God_damn_it," he muttered. He touched a hand to his forehead and withdrew it to find his fingers stained with a small amount of blood. Another panel sparked, startling him, then he let out a sigh. They were lucky to be alive. At least, he was alive.

"Ed? Ein?"

"Ooooooo!" moaned Ed from the other side of the bridge. Hands placed on either side of her head, the girl sat up, blinking and shaking it a few times. She dropped her hands to the floor, using them to keep herself in a sitting position. "Jet. Swirly stopped." She patted Ein on the head when he crawled over to her. "S'all right, Ein. It's over."

Jet grabbed onto a console and hauled himself to his feet. "I noticed," he said. He surveyed the damage done to the bridge then he let his eyes close. This would take ages to fix. He couldn't hear the engines running either, and that concerned him more than the sparking consoles.

Ein barked a few times and Jet opened his eyes. He watched the dog jump into the pilot's seat, still barking at something outside of the forward window.

"Get down, Ein," Jet grumbled, batting a hand at the Corgi. Then, he saw what Ein barked and growled at - they were in orbit around a planet. He would've guessed it to be Mars. However, it wasn't. None of the cities he knew were on this planet's surface, and the geography was all wrong as well.

"Woooow," Ed cooed as she popped up in front of the window. Both palms pressed against the window and she leaned forward. "Planet ahoy!" she declared. "Uh oh. Getting bigger and bigger, too."

Jet checked the readouts on one of the panels. Ed was right. Gradually, the **Bebop** was losing altitude. It wouldn't be more than a few hours before the gravity yanked them out of the sky.

"We have to find out where we are," he said as he sat down in the pilot's seat. His fingers flew over the buttons as he tried to use the computer to restore the engines. They were adrift but the orbit was decent - low enough to keep them from drifting out into space and high enough to give Jet time to do something. "Ed, see if Spike and Faye are okay."

Ed saluted. "Ed's on it!" she happily replied. "Ein!" With her canine companion on her heels, Ed, arms held out at her sides, ran down the corridor, making airplane sounds as she ran.

-

Faye's eyes slowly opened. She found herself lying flat on her stomach and her left arm hurt like hell. Her eyelids fluttered a few times before she fully regained consciousness. A hand brushed the hair out of her face. _Are we dead?_ she wondered. A quick look around revealed she was still aboard the **Bebop**. _If this is the afterlife, I can do without it._ At least whatever she'd landed on was soft enough to sufficiently break her fall.

"Are you planning on getting off of me anytime soon?" Spike's voice asked from below her.

Faye looked down. In the commotion, she'd ended up on top of him. They were both face down and sprawled, rather uncomfortably, on the floor just in front of the couch. She poked a finger into Spike's back a few times, grinning at her newfound position of power. "You didn't say the magic word," she teased.

"_Now_," was the strained response.

Digging her elbow into the middle of his back, Faye murmured, "Not even close."

The sound of a gun being cocked wiped the smirk off of Faye's face. The sensation of cold steel being jammed into the flesh of her right side made her look down. Spike, arm twisted in an odd manner, had his gun pointed at her.

"Get _off_," came the order once more. That was followed by the gun barrel jabbing into her side. "_NOW_."

She narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. "Fifty percent."

"Don't think that I won't shoot," Spike told her. Faye wasn't a featherweight and her body crushed him into the metal floor of the ship. Not to mention the fact his side ached. He'd slammed it against the table during the course of his fall.

She leaned down to his ear, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I _dare_ you."

"Hey! Spike! Faye-Faye!" sang Ed's voice from the corridor. "Are you dead?" Ein's barking followed. By the time Ed bounded into the room, Spike and Faye were off of the floor. Faye lazily reclined at one end of the couch, examining her fingernails, while Spike was on the other, checking the clip in his gun. "You're not dead!"

Ein jumped onto the table then sat down, eyeing each human, panting all the while.

Ed laughed as she draped her arms over the back of the sofa between them. "Hey!"

"What the hell happened up there?" Spike asked as he returned his gun to its holster.

On her back now, looking at the two adults upside down, Ed said, "Engine went vrooom! Put a hole in space! Yeah! **Bebop** went right through!" She flipped over the back of the couch and landed on her knees between them. "And here we are!"

"Where is here?" Faye inquired. "Did we get back to Mars or what?" She glanced at Spike who pretended not to notice.

"At a planet. Not Mars, though." Ed rolled off of the couch, then picked up her goggles that she used to help navigate herself through computer systems and put them on. "**Bebop** went a long ways from Mars." She clicked on the keyboard with her toes, trying to access the 'Net system.

"Great," Faye muttered as she folded her arms across her chest. "We can forget about that ten million woolong bounty now. Money like that, every bounty hunter on Mars will be on it."

"You were only getting ten percent anyway, so you didn't lose out on much," Spike casually replied.

"Shut up," Faye grumbled.

Ed growled, catching the attention of Spike and Faye. She lifted up her goggles, leaned towards her computer screen and tapped a finger against the monitor.

"What's wrong?" Faye leaned forward so she could see Ed's face better. She glanced at the computer screen. The usually happy Happy Face was no longer happy. It was equally as annoyed as Ed. "Are you listening to me?"

"Nothin's on the 'Net!" Ed wailed. She scowled as she kicked the table with her feet. "Can't connect!"

"I thought you were the hacker whiz?" Spike raised an eyebrow in mild amusement.

"I can't connect because the 'Net isn't there!" She threw her hands up in frustration then fell back against his legs. She looked up at him. "It doesn't exist!"

"What do you mean, it doesn't exist?"

Ed looked over to Faye. "No signals. No way to hack into something that ain't there." Her toes clicked at the keyboard and the screen again showed nothing. "All gone!"

"It _can't_ be gone!" Faye grabbed Ed's computer from the table and rattled it a few times. "It _has_ to be here!"

"You won't find it because we're nowhere near Mars. Or any system that we're familiar with," Jet said as he entered the room. He used the rag in his hands to finish cleaning the dirt and grime away from his fingers. He sighed. "The computers can't pinpoint our position in space because it doesn't recognize any of the star fields." He tossed the rag on the table. "That jolt sent us further than any humans have ever traveled."

"Are you saying we're _lost_ out here?" Spike asked. That was all he needed. To be stuck out in the middle of God knew where with these three.

"For the time being, yeah." He glanced around the room, shaking his head. "The ship took a hell of a beating in that jump. If I don't get the main engines running again, we'll be the newest residents of the planet we're orbiting."

"If we don't burn up in the atmosphere first," Spike added then sparked his lighter so he could light the cigarette he'd pulled out while Jet explained the situation. "In which case, it won't matter."

Faye jumped to her feet. "How can you two be so _calm_ about this?" she exclaimed. "We're in the middle of space, with no idea where. Let's not forget that we don't have a lot left in the way of food, either."

Ed put a hand to her stomach when it growled at the mention of food. "Hungry," she murmured. While the adults continued to discuss the matter at hand, she and Ein crawled away in search of something to eat.

"What about this planet you mentioned?" Spike asked. "Isn't anyone living there?"

"I managed to pick up a few clusters of civilization on the sensors, but I can't say how reliable those readings are," Jet answered. "Other than that, the planet is dead. I'm amazed anyone could've survived there for a long period of time."

"Or any_thing_," Faye added under her breath.

"Think they'd help us out?"

Faye flicked her gaze to Spike. "You want to go _down there_?"

He exhaled smoke and shrugged. "We don't have much choice, do we? Unless you'd rather stay up here and die." He looked over to Jet as Faye muttered and cursed quietly. "How long until you fix the engines?"

He shrugged. "Hard to say."

"Ed will help!" She twirled back into the room, one of the food packets they'd stored away for emergencies clasped in her hands. Ein jumped up and down, barking for Ed to share it with him.

"Hey!" Faye snatched the packet out of Ed's hands and held it high so the girl couldn't reach it. "What the hell are you doing? We're stranded in space! We can't have you eating up what little food we have."

"Give!" Ed demanded as she jumped up and down, desperate to reclaim her stolen packet. "Gimme, gimme, gimme! Faye-Faye! _Please_?"

Spike plucked the packet from Faye's hand and dropped it back down to Ed. Squealing in delight, Ed landed on the couch and began to divvy up the contents with Ein. "Let her have it," he said when Faye turned to glare at him. "It's one damn packet."

"That came outta _your_ share of the rations," Faye evenly replied, pointing a finger at him. "Remember that when your stomach is knotted up in hunger, Spike."

Spike took a drag off of his cigarette, then held it between his fore and middle fingers as he plucked it out of his mouth. "I'm not worried," he calmly assured her, then blew out the smoke in her direction. "I can always eat _you_."

Jet held back a laugh. Hard to do, considering the look on Faye's face. "I'll be working on our engine problem."

"Eee! Wait for me!" The girl swallowed the rest of the food then leapt off of the couch, chasing after Jet. "C'mon, Ein!" With a bark, Ein took off after them.

"I really hate you some days," Faye muttered a few moments after Jet and Ed had left.

"And the rest of the time?" he asked, flicking the ashes off the end of the cigarette.

She rose up onto her tiptoes, shoving her face inches away from his. "I _loathe_ you," she evenly replied. With that, she pushed him out of her way and left him standing in the middle of the room.

A crooked grin on his face, Spike finished off the cigarette, snuffed it out then he, too, left the room.

More to come ...

Song title used: "Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space" by Spiritualized.


	2. I'm Here Another Planet

Chapter Two: "I'm Here ... Another Planet" 

-

Faye sighed, more bored than anything. She reclined in Jet's seat on the bridge, one hand propping up her head as she drummed the fingers of her other against her bare thigh. Hours had gone by since Ed and Jet went into the lower levels of the ship to work on the **Bebop**'s engines. So far, nothing had come of it. They were still adrift and most of the consoles surrounding them remained lifeless.

Her eyes rolled and she focused her attention on Spike. He stood by the window before her, gazing out on the planet below them. His hands were shoved into his pockets and a trail of smoke rose up from in front of him. She could partially see his reflection in the forward window and she wondered what was going through his mind.

Spike took a drag off of his cigarette, then exhaled the smoke through his nostrils as he stared at the red planet they'd been orbiting for the last three and a half hours. The closer the ship came to it, the more detail he could make out on its surface. Small communities were scattered across it, with no impressive metropolitan areas to speak of.

Though he masked it better than Faye, he was as worried about getting home, or not getting home, as she. He had too many unanswered questions, too much unfinished business to take care of. This side trip to another part of the universe threw a wrench into his long term plans.

"That planet's gettin' awfully big in the window," Faye quietly commented, drawing Spike out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he murmured. He removed the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling another cloud of smoke. "The gravity'll have a stronger hold on us soon."

She cocked her head to one side as she studied the darkened form of Spike Spiegel. He didn't sound worried in the least that they could possibly die. Did he even_ care_? "We can always abandon ship," she suggested with a shrug.

He puffed on his cigarette again. "And go where? You know none of our personal craft are capable of long distance space travel. As for this planet down here ... " He paused, shaking his head. "We don't know if anyone is even alive. These cities Jet picked up ... they could be remnants of a culture long dead."

"So you're giving up, then?"

"No."

"Sounds like it."

"You're the one who wants to abandon ship. I'm being realistic about our chances of survival."

She sighed, frustrated with the direction this conversation was taking. "Don't you have the slightest bit of hope?"

He remained silent as he gazed at the planet, becoming well acquainted with the geography of the place with each revolution. He hadn't felt hope for a long time. Seemed like decades ago, the concept of it was so foreign to him. When one lived the kind of life he had as an adolescent and a young adult, hope was one of the first things to go.

Annoyed that he chose to ignore her, Faye got out of Jet's seat. "You have an extra one of those?" she asked, coming up beside him. A moment later, Spike extended his pack to her and she removed one. Once she'd received a light, she inhaled deeply, letting the nicotine soothe her nerves then she looked at him.

"What?" he gruffly asked, noticing her staring.

The idea that they could die here, it had Faye doing some thinking of her own. She'd known Spike and Jet for only a few months, yet she considered them the only people in the galaxy she could trust. Especially with her life. Lately, it had occurred to her that she wasn't truly happy unless Spike was around.

For a while, she couldn't figure out why. She'd never considered the answer to the puzzle was such a simple one. In retrospect, well, it was unconscious denial. The cloud of denial lifted one day, though, when she'd overheard Spike talking to Jet about that Julia woman. The mysterious Julia whose hold on Spike was so strong, that he would cross the universe to follow up on the sketchiest lead on her whereabouts.

She blinked, her mind flashing back to the present. She saw Spike using their reflections in the window to look at her. Quickly, she averted her gaze, lowering her burning cigarette to her side. She wanted to tell him all of this. What could it hurt? He'd probably laugh, anyway. Then she could spend her final hours happily hating his very existence. It wouldn't hurt as much that way.

A few seconds later, the bridge roared to life as the engines of the **Bebop** re-engaged.

Faye sighed in relief as she closed her eyes. Not only because they weren't dead in the water anymore, but she'd almost revealed a well-kept, painful secret to Spike about herself. She wouldn't have been able to look him in the eye after that, if she'd have actually told him. She took quick drag off the cigarette in order to keep herself calm.

"Spike, Faye," Jet's voice came over the ship's internal comm. "How do things look up there?"

Both reviewed the ship's computers and the reads from the engines. Spike looked over to Faye who nodded that things were fine on her side.

"We're back up," Spike responded. "Way to cut it close, Jet." He stood straight, the ghost of a smile on his face when Jet replied by calling Spike a very unkind name. -

"We still need a lot of repairs." Jet used the last fifteen minutes to explain the extent of their troubles while he and Ed reset the consoles that came back during the engine restart. "We have our autopilot back, so we won't have any trouble with landing. I don't think ..." He tapped the panel and the autopilot engage light flickered a few times. He hoped it wasn't still down. That'd make it difficult on them.

"A landing?" Faye placed her hands on one of the consoles and leaned towards Jet. "You want to _land_ on that rock?" She pointed to the window.

"I don't want to, either, woman, but I have to." Jet glanced over to Ed. "You find a suitable place yet, Ed?"

"No oceans that I can see." She turned to the others. "Only sand and rock, rock and sand. Big rocks, small rocks ... red rocks, blue rocks!"

"We get the idea!" Faye snapped. Her attention went back to Spike and Jet. "We're still screwed."

"Not necessarily," Jet said from his seat. "We can land without a body of water ... it's just ..." He glanced back at that autopilot button.

Faye took another nervous drag off of her newest cigarette. He couldn't be seriously considering this stupid idea. They'd managed a dry landing a few weeks before, but that was unplanned. And the ship wasn't battered to hell and back, then. "It's just that if you screw up, it's no longer called 'landing'. It's called '_crashing_'."

"Look, the ship needs repairs and I can't do that up here with no materials. If there are people on this planet, we have to ask them for help." He paused in his preparations for the waterless landing. "Unless you prefer to drift in space forever?"

With a sigh, Faye shook her head and took one last drag on the cigarette before snuffing it out. "You're gonna get us killed."

"At this point, I'd take death over listening to you bitch." Spike placed his hands on the back of Jet's main console and looked the man in the eye. "_Do it_."

-

Meryl Stryfe never spent a lot of time staring up at the skies. Not these days, anyway. She had enough responsibility on the ground to keep an eye on. Yet, today, she felt as though something was 'off'. She couldn't put her finger on it; she just knew a major event was about to happen. That was saying a lot, too, when one spent the better part of a year following the 'Humanoid Typhoon'.

"Ma'am!"

Meryl blinked and lowered her gaze away from the brilliant blue sky then settled it on Milly Thompson, her partner on this mission from their employer - Bernardelli Insurance. However, she now noticed, that Milly was alone. Which she shouldn't have been.

"Where is Vash?" she asked as Milly sat down next to her on the bench.

Brightly smiling at her superior, Milly replied, "Mr. Vash is playing with the kids again!"

Like usual, Vash the Stampede, the fabled outlaw, the Humanoid Typhoon, a man so dangerous he had a bounty of sixty billion double dollars on his head, had made friends with every single citizen under the age of 14 in Illinois City, the latest town they'd saved from ruin.

Long red coat flapping in the light breeze blowing through the town square, Vash proudly balanced himself on the back of one the other benches, lecturing his captive young audience about the next game they would be playing.

"Now .. .pay attention!" Vash declared, holding up a finger as though he were giving the most important speech in the history of the planet Gunsmoke. "If you're going to play this game, you must follow the rules. Then we'll see how fast you are compared to me!" He laughed. "So .. When I give the word - "

"Mr. Vash?" exclaimed a little girl, probably 7 or 8 years old, as she popped up behind his bench. A hand latched onto the end of his coat and with one hefty tug - an attempt to gain his attention - the child threw Vash off-balance.

"Oh no," Meryl moaned as she covered her face with one hand. She couldn't watch as, yet again, Vash was humiliated in front of an entire town. She should've been used to it by now, but she still couldn't bear witness to it.

Milly gasped as Vash tumbled backwards off of the bench and landed hard, flat onto his back. "Is it over?" Meryl semi-peeked through her fingers.

"Yes. Gosh, I hope Mr. Vash is okay," she replied, her face filled with the same concern as her voice. He seemed to be all right. Some days the smallest scratch could send him into a wailing fit; while on others, he could take a bullet with nothing more than a flinch. "Should I check?"

Lying flat on his back, Vash stared up at the sky above. The wind had been knocked out of him and he'd temporarily forgotten how to move. Then, the bright blue eyes of the girl who'd tugged at his coat, looked down at him.

"M-Mr. Vash?" she asked, her tiny voice trembling with fear. Her hands clutched together in front of her and her eyes quickly filled with tears. "Are you okay? Please, be okay!"

"I'm fine," he replied, his voice a bit strained. He flexed the fingers of both hands and realized he was able to move again. He offered a smile to the girl as he sat up on the ground. "Don't cry. No little fall is going to hurt me!" he assured her as he brushed the dirt off of himself.

Breaking out into a broad smile, the girl threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy you're okay!" she cried. Her hug became tighter and Vash found himself having trouble with breathing. "I thought you were dead!"

Milly grinned as she looked to Meryl. "See, ma'am? Mr. Vash is fine!"

Meryl watched as the other children, who were also happy their new playmate wasn't hurt, pile onto Vash. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Milly." She rested her chin in the palms of her hands, doing her best to keep from laughing at the scene before her.

Her joyous mood was short lived. A rumbling sound, coming from up above them, caught the attention of everyone in the town square. Even people who were indoors poked their heads out of doorways and windows, curious about the noise.

"What's that?" Milly asked. Her head tilted back as she searched the clear blue sky for the source of the commotion. A hand shielded her eyes from the glare of the planet's two suns. "I've never heard anything like it before, ma'am."

Meryl barely heard Milly's comments as she, too, scanned the sky. The noise grew louder and louder. Then, she saw it, a dark blob on the horizon to the east of town. It moved fast and became larger in the sky at an alarming rate. The rest of the townspeople saw it, too, and a semi-panic broke out, sending some back into their homes and shops. Whatever it was, they wanted no part of it.

"What ... what is it, Mr. Vash?" asked the little blue-eyed girl, her hands holding tightly to the folds of his coat. Her eyes were wide as she watched the flying hunk of metal drop lower in the sky. "Is it bad?"

_A spaceship? Out this far?_ Vash wondered as he stared up at the approaching vessel. Something wasn't right, the way it descended; it didn't look like it's pilot had full control. His eyes narrowed. The ship would miss this town, but there were several others iles to the west of it. The damage a ship that size could cause with a direct hit ...

The low flying craft roared over the heads of those townsfolk who were brave enough to stay outside. Still, they either covered their heads or dropped to the ground, including Meryl and Milly. The only person who remained standing was Vash. His eyes never once left the vessel as it hurtled over the town and towards the western horizon.

Meryl uncovered her head, glanced over to Milly who did the same, then both women turned their attention to Vash. Meryl's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity when she saw he showed no fear of the unidentified flying object. She also knew that expression he wore on his face, very well.

_What does he know that we don't?_

-

About twenty iles west of the town Vash, Meryl and Milly had come to call 'home' for the time being, the **Bebop** made its rough and rocky landing on the surface of the planet. Dust kicked up by the ship's sliding stop created a cloud so thick, it would be a long time before it finally settled back to earth. The damage to the hull itself was minor. The vessel was tough and it had survived more destructive collisions than this in its day. As 'landings' went, this one could've been worse. A _lot_ worse.

Ed's head popped up and she looked over Jet's shoulder at the control panels then out of the forward windows. She cried out in glee as she leapt over him and his chair. "Look! We've landed!" she exclaimed, pointing to the barren landscape that stretched on and on before her. She shook Faye's shoulder, trying to rouse the woman, who'd been knocked unconscious during their rough landing. "Faye-Faye! Wake up! We're here!"

Jet wiped a hand over his forehead, sighing in relief and exhaustion. That was some of the best flying he'd ever done. Minor damage and everyone was alive. He slammed a fist against the autopilot button which flickered out, then he cursed it. Everything was going fine until the son of a bitch decided to kick off halfway through their descent. After that, it was all Jet Black.

"Get off!" Faye snapped as she pushed Ed away from her. She grabbed onto one of the consoles and used it to pull herself to her feet. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her and she placed a hand to her head. "Oh, I feel like I'm going to vomit."

Spike accepted Jet's extended hand and let his friend yank him off of the floor. He turned to look out of the window with the other man. If he didn't know better, he'd think they were on Mars. His eyes scanned the horizon. Somewhere, not far off, there was a town. He recalled passing over one or two during their so-called landing.

"Out there," he said, directing Jet's attention to the west. "We'll start out that way."

"Where?" Faye asked as she half-stumbled over to them. Her hand dabbed at the bleeding cut on her right temple. Her eyes narrowed and focused on the horizon. "Oh. Out there."

Jet and Spike looked at Faye, whose hand dropped away from her head as she swayed uneasily on her feet.

Ed tugged on Faye's jacket. "Faye-Faye? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm ... fine ... " Faye's eyes rolled back in her head as she fell forward. Spike caught her before she collapsed onto the floor.

"Let me take a look, Spike," Jet said. He pried open one of her eyelids, examined the pupil then brushed the hair back from the cut and he shook his head. "I'm sure she has a concussion. The cut itself isn't a concern," he reported. "Let's take her downstairs."

"This woman's nothin' but trouble," Spike muttered as he swept Faye into his arms then followed Jet off of the bridge.

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "I'm Here ... Another Planet" by The Creatures.


	3. Across The Universe

Chapter 3: "Across The Universe" 

-

Meryl sipped the drink in her hands, gazing at Vash who sat across the table from her. Since the strange craft had passed over the town more than half an hour ago, he'd been unusually mellow. No, it was more than "mellow", he was broody. He was half-slumped down in his chair, food and drink left untouched, and he stared at nothing in particular on the floor.

"What do you suppose that was?" she asked, finally, after the lengthy silence.

He shrugged, not even bothering to look at her.

She frowned as she placed her cup on the table. "Aren't you concerned about it? You haven't said anything since it flew by." Her eyes narrowed at him as she leaned to her left, trying to get a good look at his face. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, I am," he quietly replied, his brilliant green eyes met Meryl's. "It was a ship."

_Great. Words. Finally! _"Then what do you think about that _ship_?"

"What about it?"

Her brow furrowed. "Don't you think we should try to find it? The crew could still be alive."

He shifted his gaze back to the floor, further frustrating Meryl. She couldn't figure out which Vash was worse: the overly goofy dork or the stoic, mysterious stranger who sat with her now. She wanted to know what he knew and he wasn't talking. Her fingers drummed impatiently against the tabletop, waiting for a response.

He'd done nothing but think about that ship since it'd appeared in the sky. If he told her, Meryl would ask even more questions. Questions he wasn't sure he wanted to remember the answers to. Whoever they were, they were a long way from home, that he knew for certain. More than likely, they would end up dead in a few hours, if they weren't already. The idea of searching out that ship and its crew didn't appeal to him in the least. It dredged up too many painful memories of a different vessel, and the crew upon it he'd befriended. One woman in particular.

"You're better off if you forget about it," Vash finally told her.

She stared back at him, surprised. "I can't believe _you_, of all people, are saying such a thing." She clasped her fingers tightly around her cup when he offered no explanation for this out of character behavior. So she just demanded it. "What's the matter with you?"

Once more, his eyes met hers, but he remained silent.

Irritated, Meryl slammed her palms on the table as she stood up. "Fine. Stay here and do whatever you want. I don't care."

After Meryl stormed out of the saloon, Vash went back to staring at the floor. She couldn't understand. No one could. Even now, after a century's worth of time's passage, the pain was as fresh as it was that day. The day she died. The day she gave her life to save others.

Outside, Meryl folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall near the doorway to the saloon. _What the hell is his problem? _she angrily thought. _Since when doesn't he care about people who are in trouble?_

"Ma'am?" Milly joined Meryl then glanced around. "Where is Mr. Vash?"

Meryl jerked a thumb to the building behind her. "In there."

She frowned then asked, "Is he going to find that thing that flew overhead earlier?" She gestured to the thomases behind her, packed and ready for a long trip. "I'm ready to go, ma'am."

"He says it was a spaceship and he's not going, either, Milly."

The smile melted away from her face. "He isn't?"

Meryl shook her head.

"Why not?"

She shrugged.

"That isn't like Mr. Vash at all, ma'am. And if that ship really is from space, the people onboard will definitely need our help." She placed a hand on Meryl's shoulder. "Why don't you ask him again if he'll go with us? He'll listen to you."

"He _never_ listens to me. If that were true, we would've never come to this town." She sighed, then her arms dropped to her sides. "It's pointless. He just doesn't care."

"Well," Milly said after a few moments, "if he won't go with us, we'll go alone. We have several hours of daylight left and the ship couldn't be more than twenty iles from here." She smiled brightly when Meryl looked up to her. "We can do it!"

Milly was dead set on finding that downed ship. More than half the planet saw it go down, too. Good and bad people alike. If someone didn't try to help out the survivors, they wouldn't be survivors for long. A sense of determination welling up within her, Meryl nodded her head as she pushed herself off of the wall.

"Let's go!"

-

"Are you sure you should go by yourself?" Jet paused in his work underneath one of the bridge consoles to look up at Spike. "We don't even know what's out there, let alone where we are."

"You said people lived here."

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did."

"I said there were 'clusters of civilization', not people."

Spike leaned against the pilot's seat, a smirk on his face. "I thought I was the only smart-ass on this ship?"

"Most of the time." Jet grinned and disappeared back under the console. "Either way, you should wait for me. I know how you operate, Spike. If there are people living in these towns, you'll annoy them without somebody around the rein you in."

"So ... how long is _this_ gonna take?" Spike asked, gesturing to the console with one hand as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes with the other.

Jet grunted. "Another hour or so," he replied as Spike lit up a cigarette.

He choked on the smoke when he inhaled. "Are you _kidding_? You want me to wait around here for an hour? Maybe_ more_?"

"It's an estimate. And, yeah, I do." He muttered a curse as one of the circuits shorted out, giving the fingers of his right hand a mild shock. "You'd better make it two hours, at least."

Spike dropped his head, sighing. He wanted to get the hell off the ship more than anything else. The feeling of uselessness irritated him. Jet knew everything about repairing the ship, Ed had her own skills with the computer that she applied in trying to figure out where they were, then Faye ... Well, she was in her quarters, recovering from her mild concussion.

"Jet!" Ed bounded onto the bridge. "Found something on the computer!" She poked at him then grabbed a hold of Spike's hand. "Come and see! Ed knows where we are!"

-

Down in the living area, Ed clicked away on the keys of her computer as Jet and Spike stood behind her, watching as the hacking program zoomed through the system of another computer. Humming a tune, Ed navigated the semi- alien computer system until she found what she'd wanted to show them.

"Ah! Here it is!" She pulled up her goggles and pointed to the screen. "Found another working computer, full of information, too."

Jet and Spike both leaned over, reading the information scrolling across the screen. To Jet, it appeared to be the mainframe of another spaceship. To Spike, it didn't look like much of anything.

"Where's this other computer?" asked Spike as he looked down at the top of Ed's head. She responded by pointing up at the ceiling. "This ship is still in the sky, hanging over the planet," she replied. She tilted her head back, meeting Spike's gaze. "Many people live there. Have for over a hundred years! Ed found all kinds of records and maps and things."

"Anything about the people living on the planet itself?"

Ed clicked the keys. "Hmm. Not much."

"What do they have?" Jet prompted.

"They stay away from the surface people, the ones on the ship, that is." Ed rested her chin in the palms of her hands as she watched the computer spit out mounds of old coordinates and details of its original mission.

"Wait ... what's that?" Spike pointed to one of the planetary graphics that had come up on Ed's screen. He waited for the girl to access the information. If he was forced to guess, he would've said that planet was -

"Earth!" She clicked another key. "Ship came from Earth. Says here, it wasn't the only one, either ... "

"What were they doing?" Jet was now crouched on one side of Ed, reading the information on her computer.

"Colonization."

"And they picked _this _shithole of a planet to do it on?" Spike incredulously replied, his eyebrows raising.

"Nope. Crashed. Something went wrong. Most ships were lost, some managed to survive the atmosphere and make it to the surface." Ed continued punching her keys. "This one ... it stays in the air because the people make it stay there."

"I don't understand this," Jet said, shaking his head. "How can ships that weren't even on Earth one hundred and thirty years ago be in deep space now?"

Ed glanced over at him. "That's the other part I found. It's not only _where_ the **Bebop** is, it's _when_ it is." She hit the last key and pointed to her screen. "See?"

Jet shook his head. "No," he whispered. "No, this is_ impossible_! Your computer made a mistake, this can't be right."

"Computers don't make mistakes," Ed matter of factly replied.

"Then _you_ did."

"I make _no_ mistakes!" she huffed, putting her hands on her hips as she scowled at Jet. "**Bebop** went over twelve hundred years into the future!"

Spike collapsed onto the couch. Luckily, it was directly behind him or else he would've landed on the floor. The future? They'd gone into the future? And over a millennium, too? "How in the hell is this possible?"

"Anomaly ripped a hole in time and space," Ed explained. "Then ... here we are!"

Jet sighed as he hung in head. This was too much. It was more than enough when they only believed themselves to be lost in space, now they were lost in time as well. "What could've caused such an anomaly in the first place?" he asked, more thinking aloud than asking anyone in particular.

"Lots of weirdy-weird things happen in the gateways. **Bebop**'s engine problem mighta contributed to an already existing unstable element in subspace."

"I'm not an astrophysicist."

"Neither is Ed." She shrugged. "Just guessing!"

Jet shook his head again then looked over his shoulder to Spike. The other man was laid back on the couch, his eyes closed. "Hey, Spike. This isn't the time to be sleeping. We have a real problem here."

"I _know_. We can't fix a hole in time and space, can we, Jet?" he replied, eyes still closed.

"That may be, but we have a ship that _can _be repaired. We have ourselves, too. If we're gonna be stuck on here for a while, we'll have to do business with the people, if there are any." He paused. "I seriously doubt they'd take woolongs, Spike."

Spike opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. "What're you saying? I'm supposed to get a _job _here?"

"It's a start."

He narrowed his eyes at Jet. "What about _you_?"

Jet rose up to his feet. "I have a ship to repair."

"I'm failing to see how this arrangement is fair."

"You're the tagalong on this adventure. Plus, it's _my_ ship, and what I says goes." He looked down to Ed, who'd been listening to the exchange with great interest. "See if you can't find any information on these towns in that computer of yours."

"Aye-aye!" Ed sharply saluted him.

With one last glance at Spike, Jet left the room and headed back up to the bridge.

"Shit," Spike grumbled as he placed his feet on the floor. He fished through the inner pocket of his jacket, pulled out his pack of cigarettes and took inventory. Only six left. And it was his last pack. He'd planned to buy more as soon as they reached Mars. Fate was a real bitch today. He shoved them back into his pocket, determined to save them for when he absolutely needed a fix.

Faye, who'd lingered in the corridor while Ed explained what happened to the ship, leaned against the wall and bowed her head. What was it with Faye Valentine and losing decades of time? First, she'd lost over fifty years in a cold sleep. Now, she was over a thousand years further into the future because of a freak tear in the fabric of space and time. Her head lifted when she heard the sound of someone approaching.

Spike stopped in front of her, his hands shoved into his pockets and a look of utter defeat in his eyes.

"I heard everything," she softly said before he could speak.

A few uncomfortable moments of silence passed before Spike asked, "How's your head?"

Her hand went to the gauze bandage patch covering the minor cut. "I'll live," she answered, a little surprised he'd even asked. The dizziness and nausea passed long ago, thanks to a pill Jet administered to her.

"You shouldn't be walking around."

Her hand lowered to her side. "I know." She regarded him with a curious expression. What was with all of the sympathy and caring coming from _him_? "It's only a bump on the head. It's nothing."

He finally looked her in the eye. "We can't lose you, Faye. Not now."

She blinked. _Maybe I wasn't the only one who took a blow to the head._ Before she could reply to his concerned words, Spike spoke again.

"Because if I have to get a job on this goddamn dirt rock, so do _you_."

Faye's eyes narrowed at him as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Well, _I_ don't plan on being stuck here for long!" With that, she headed for the bay where her Red-Tail was lying in storage.

-

Ed, who'd dragged her computer up to the bridge, paused in pretending to fly the **Bebop** when the roar of engines rattled the ship. At that moment, Jet popped up from underneath the nearby console. He growled lightly as Faye's Red-Tail tore away from the **Bebop**. Spike's Swordfish was right behind her.

"Goddamnit! Neither one of them knows how to listen!"

Ed leaned over the side of the chair to look at Jet. "They better bring back souvenirs!"

-

"Ma'am?"

"Hmm?" Meryl looked to her left to see Milly offering the water canteen to her. "Oh. Thanks!" She accepted it, took a long drink then sighed. They'd been riding for an hour, covering quite a bit of ground in that time.

"I wonder what kind of people they are," Milly said as she glanced over at Meryl. "To have something like a spaceship ... they have to be pretty special. Don't you think?"

"I suppose." Meryl shrugged. Truth be told, the people on that ship hadn't been on her mind. Vash had never been so disinterested in anything before. During her entire life, Meryl hadn't laid eyes on an actual working spacecraft. Just about everyone on the planet hadn't. Why was Vash the only person who didn't seem to care?

"April City isn't far off," Milly commented when Meryl offered nothing in the way of conversation. "Isn't that where Mr. Wolfwood said he was going when we saw him last?"

"I think so."

Milly clasped her hands together, smiling. "Oh, I hope he's still there! Then we would already know someone in town."

Meryl smiled at her associate but that smile quickly faded when she saw two dark blotches against the northern horizon. Soon, the two craft, much smaller than the one they'd seen earlier, zoomed overhead. They're headed for April City, she thought as the ships banked to the left, heading to the east.

"Someone _did_ survive!" Milly's gaze left the fading specks in the sky and fell on Meryl. "At least we know where they're going."

"Let's hurry. Maybe we can catch them before they town." Meryl urged her thomas into a faster gait. If these strangers did end up in April City, who knew what kind of reception the locals would give them? Not every town on Gunsmoke was full of warm, kindhearted people. Especially in this area of the world.

"I wish Mr. Vash would've come with us, ma'am!" Milly called out as they raced across the barren desert before them.

"So do I, Milly! So do I!"

-

"Have you noticed something about this planet, Faye?" Spike asked as he watched the copper-colored ground whisk by outside of his windows.

"No, what is it?" Faye's voice crackled over the comm in his Swordfish.

"I haven't seen anything resembling a spaceport around here," he replied. He looked to the consoles in front of him which offered little information beyond the status of the ship itself. "In fact, I haven't noticed a hell of a lot of industrialization, period."

"So? What does that mean to us?"

"It's just curious, that's all," he replied, shrugging. "How can people a thousand years in our future travel this far into deep space and be living in the Dark Ages?"

"Who knows? I really don't care, either. I'm so hungry right now, I could eat some of those rocks out there. This town better have an open door policy towards wayward travelers."

Even though Faye could dismiss it, he couldn't it. Something didn't feel right here. "Let's land well outside of town, Faye."

"_What_? Why?"

"Just do it, would you? It won't hurt to walk a while, anyway."

"_Is that some kind of crack about my weight_?" Faye angrily shot back.

Sighing, he shook his head. If he had to be stuck on this planet for the rest of his life, he'd need to get away from her. The woman drove him insane.

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "Across The Universe" by The Beatles


	4. Reverence

Chapter 4: "Reverence"

-

"Hi, Will," greeted the young blonde woman behind the counter as another customer entered the only saloon in April City. "How're you today?"

Will took a seat at counter, smiling as the woman served up his usual drink. "Town's gone half-crazy with talk of alien invaders, Ali."

Ali lifted an eyebrow. "Alien invaders? What brought that on?" She picked up a rag and began to wipe down the countertop.

"Bob Talbert came into town about an hour ago, talking about a spaceship he supposedly saw in the sky." Will slugged down his drink and paused while Ali refilled it. "Anyway, he and about a dozen other guys set out to find it. He says it crashed somewheres east of here."

"And they _believed_ him?"

"Shoulda seen his face." He sipped the drink. "He obviously believed it enough to convince them." He set the glass back on the bar. "Personally, I think he's full of shit. A spaceship? Nobody's seen that kind of technology for a hundred years."

Ali laughed. "I'm curious as to what they plan to _do_ with it if they do find it." She wiped her hands with the rag and laid it down. "Not as though any of them know how to _operate_ it."

Will snorted. "There ain't no spaceship out there. They'll come back in a day or two and be the laughingstock of the town for a while."

"Probably." She looked past Will Harman to the only other person sitting in her bar that afternoon. "Anything else I can get you?" she called out to the man in black. She wished he was turned around, so she could see his face. He was awfully good-looking, something rare in April City.

The man raised his hand, a smoldering cigarette clutched between two fingers, then motioned that he was fine.

"Okay." She shrugged. He'd been slouched in that chair for the past thirty minutes; one hand resting on the large cross which was swathed in white cloth and buckled black belts and leaned against his table.

"Who's he?" Will asked, looking back to Ali.

"A priest."

"Really? Did the huge cross give it away?" he sarcastically replied.

She gave him a look. "He's been in town for a few weeks. Spends most of his time at the orphanage on the other side of town." She smiled a little. "Wish he'd spend more time on _this_ side of town, though."

Will saw the glassy-eyed gaze in Ali's eyes. "Aren't you forgetting he's a priest?" He finished off his second drink.

She frowned. "That doesn't mean I can't _dream_."

He laughed then turned around on his stool. "Hey! Priest!" he called out to the man. When he received no acknowledgment, he tried again. "Priest, I'm talkin' to you!"

The priest's hand flicked the ashes from the end of his cigarette. "I heard you the first time," he casually replied.

Will's eyebrows arched. "Oh, so we got us a priest with an _attitude_?" he murmured.

Ali placed a hand on his arm. "Don't irritate him. He doesn't bother anyone and I'd like to keep him coming here."

He shrugged her hand off. "I ain't gonna start anything, woman. I just wanna talk to him. Never met an honest to God priest before. Not in a bar, at any rate."

Ali sighed, shaking her head. Why couldn't he leave it alone?

"You hear about this so-called spaceship that landed or whatever near here?" Will asked as he leaned against the counter, his gaze locked on the back of the priest's head.

"Thanks to your loud mouth, yeah, I have now."

Will narrowed his eyes briefly. Where did this guy get off talking to him like that? "What d'you think about it? Think we're being invaded by aliens?" he asked with a laugh.

"No."

"Oh? Why's that? You have it on confidence from the good Lord above?"

"No."

Will was becoming frustrated by the priest's short answers and disinterested tone. "Then why do you think we're not?"

The priest lifted up his glass, finished the last of his drink then placed the empty glass on the table. "Aliens wouldn't waste their time invading a shithole planet like this, genius. That's why."

After a few moments of silence, Will laughed loudly. He glanced back to Ali. "I _like_ this guy!" He jerked a thumb at him. "He's pretty damn funny."

"Would you leave him alone?"

"Hey, priest. You're pretty funny. What's your name?" He waved a hand at the barmaid, trying to shush her. "I wanna know."

"Nicholas D. Wolfwood."

"Ah. So ..._ Father_ Wolfwood ... do you believe in aliens, then?"

"Stop it," Ali hissed.

"Sure, I do," Wolfwood replied. He flicked the ashes off the end of his cigarette before taking another drag.

"Really now?" Will's eyebrows arched in amusement. "_You _believe in alien lifeforms?"

A pause. "_You're_ here, aren't you?"

His eyes darkened, all joviality gone from his manner. "You're pretty damn disrespectful for a priest," he snapped. His expression became even harder when Wolfwood ignored him. "Aren't you people supposed to love thy neighbor?"

"I'm from a different order."

"Are you going to leave him alone now?" Ali asked as Will turned back to the bar.

"Yeah," he muttered. He wasn't finished with this so-called priest, however. They'd continue this discussion later ... when Ali wasn't around to save his holy ass.

On the other side of the room, Wolfwood lit up another cigarette. Apparently, this Will had become bored with harassing him. _Good for him_, he thought. He didn't want to make a nasty mess of this nice young lady's establishment. It was a miracle he'd managed to keep his cool as long as he had. No more nine months ago, he would've stopped the conversation before it went beyond the initial 'Hey, Priest!'.

He blamed Vash the Stampede for that.

And this idiot, Will, should _thank_ the outlaw for it.

-

"It's so_ hot_ out here," Faye moaned. She dragged a hand over her forehead, wiping away the sweat. She looked over to Spike, who was perspiring just as much as she. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"Not really." He had his jacket slung over his shoulder and trudged along as though he were back on Mars, without a care in the world.

Faye held her own jacket over her head for shade. "Could it get any _hotter_ on this planet?" She peered at him from underneath her makeshift umbrella. "I don't understand why you wanted to land so far from town. Who _cares _if they don't have any spaceports? Maybe they just don't _need_ them. You ever consider that, Spike?"

"I did. And it doesn't make sense."

"I'll tell you what doesn't make sense." She gestured to the world around them. "_This_. Us being here. And a thousand years in the future. This is what doesn't make sense. I don't want to be stuck here."

"Like I do?"

Faye tucked her jacket tightly around her head until only a slit was left, so she could see where she was going. "The town's not much farther," she muttered after a few minutes of silence.

"I see it."

-

The townsfolk of April City had seen many strangers in their time, more than many of the other small towns on Gunsmoke, but never had they laid eyes on a pair like the ones who strolled down Main Street that afternoon. Spike kept an eye on the people, even more curious about them. The way they dressed, it was out of an old Western movie. Even the buildings and the town's set up mirrored the time period.

"Is it me or are these people staring at us?" Faye asked as she lowered her jacket/umbrella from over her head.

"They're staring," he replied.

"Good. Then I'm not paranoid."

As they moved to the wooden planked "sidewalk" which ran in front of the old buildings, most of the people stepped aside or went back into their shops before Spike and Faye reached them. The murmurs went ignored by them both. It wasn't the first time they'd been talked about in such a manner.

"What _exactly_ are we looking for here?" Faye asked.

"A way to make money. And fast."

"You think these people will let us _work_ for them?" She paused as they passed by a few older men sitting on a bench. She didn't like the way they oogled her. "This place freaks me out."

Spike was about to reply when something tacked onto the outside of the next building caught his eye. A cluster of papers, fluttering in the wind, adorned a bulletin board. As he tilted his head back, he smiled. The word above the door, he recognized it and he knew they were saved. 'Sheriff'.

Faye side-glanced at Spike, but he was no longer beside her. "Hey, where did you -" She saw him standing in front of one of the buildings, reading something. "What are you doing?" She followed his finger when he pointed to the papers. "What ... "

The papers turned out to be old fashioned Wanted posters. The local sheriff needed help apprehending outlaws, just as the ISSP did back in their own time and space. The bounties were listed in a currency neither knew but the higher the number, the better.

"We've found ourselves a job here," Spike said, grinning.

"You two bounty hunters, then?" a man asked as he stepped out of the Sheriff's Office. The gold sheriff's badge glittered on his shirt as he leaned in the doorway, studying the two young, strangely dressed people before him.

"Yeah, we are."

Faye was too busy scanning the price tags on the heads of the lowlifes on the bulletin board to notice the sheriff.

"Ya don't look it," he replied with a short laugh. "And you're definitely _not _from around here." He glanced at Faye. "So, you're interested in catching some of these bastards, huh?"

"Sure. We're in need of money. What better way to do it?"

"Where you folks from?"

Faye and Spike exchanged a glance, unsure of how to answer that question. The man probably wouldn't believe the truth; they hardly did themselves.

"Way y'all are dressed, I'd imagine you're from the other side of the planet. We don't get many folks from that far away in April City."

Faye nodded, relieved the man had given them a cover story. "Yeah, that's right. The _other_ side of the planet." She smiled at him. "It's been an extremely _long_ trip, too."

The sheriff extended a hand which Faye accepted. "I'm Maxwell Morgan. And you're -?"

"Faye Valentine."

"Spike Spiegel." He shook Morgan's hand.

"Huh. Different names," Morgan commented. "Suppose that's how it is on that side of the world." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave them a knowing look. "Only one thing could bring two bounty hunters to another hemisphere."

Spike glanced at Faye then said, "What would that be?"

Morgan laughed loudly as he slapped Spike on the back. "Ha! That's funny. The dumb act won't work on me, friend."

Spike frowned as he used his right hand to massage his back where the sheriff had whacked him. "I guess not," he muttered.

"You're after what every other bounty hunter on this planet is - that sixty billion double dollars, for the notorious _Vash the Stampede_!"

Faye's jaw dropped. She couldn't control it. The sound of sixty billion of anything would've garnered a similar response. "Did you ... say ... sixty ... _billion_?"

Morgan nodded, puzzled by the reaction of the young couple. Vash was legend and they looked as though they'd never heard of him before. Unless the clueless stuff was part of some cunning plan of theirs.

Spike shook his head, the daze of hearing sixty billion wearing off finally. "What exactly did this Vash do to earn a sixty billion bounty on his head?" he asked. Off the suspicious look on the sheriff's face, he added, "You hear all of these _stories_, I mean. You never know what to believe."

"'Bout thirty years ago, he leveled an entire town. Not a soul survived," Morgan answered, looking from Spike to Faye. "Since then, many towns have been destroyed. Some call him the 'Humanoid Typhoon'. Let's put it this way: if he ever walks into your town, you'd do well to pack up and run. I gotta tell you, though, many bounty hunters have gone after him ... _none_ have come close to catching him."

Faye grabbed the sheriff by the shirt, yanking him closer. "Do you have any idea where this guy was last seen?" she eagerly asked. The thought sixty billion double dollars had taken hold of her. She hoped they had casinos on this planet. Or some form of gambling. What she could do what all that money - should she happen to stay - the possibilities were endless.

"Well, I ... I'm not really sure." The sheriff tried to back away but Faye had him in a death grip.

"Then what does he look like? Where has he been? What types of places does he go?" She shook Morgan as though that would make him rattle off everything she wanted to know. "_Tell me_!"

"No one knows what he looks like - other than that he's blonde and wears a long red coat."

Faye released Morgan, frowning. That was a whole lot of _nothing _to go on. A sixty billion dollar bounty, the authorities should have a better description than _that_ to work with.

"If you _are_ after him, I wish you luck." Morgan looked at each of them. "He's impossible to track and the most cunning criminal mind to _ever _exist. Period."

"Thanks, Sheriff," Spike said as he watched Morgan retreat back into his office. He shifted his gaze back to Faye. "What the hell was that? You almost choked him to death."

Faye sighed. "I'll put it into two simple words that even you can understand, Spike." She leaned up towards him, eyes steady on his. "_Sixty_. _Billion_."

In a tone which matched hers, he replied, "_Hell_. _No_."

"What do you mean, '_No_'?"

"It's a wild goose chase, Faye. Did you listen to a word that man said? Or were you distracted by the woolong symbols in your eyes?"

She scowled at him as she folded her arms across her chest.

"We deal with somebody we have a chance of finding. So forget about this Vash the Stampede."

"All right," she said with a frustrated sigh. She gestured to him with one hand. "You're in charge, Spike."

He eyed her. Something wasn't right with this picture. Faye, giving up on a 60 billion bounty so easily? And conceding that _he_ was in charge? _This woman is up to no good_, he thought. "Let's figure out which of these guys will pay out a decent amount then head back to the **Bebop**."

"Whatever you say," she said with a shrug.

_Those three words, coming from her, scare the hell out of me._

-

"Vrrroooom!" Ed watched through her goggles as her hacking program zipped through another computer's system that she was able to connect with. These systems were all kid-at-play compared to what she was used to dealing with back home. Her joy-riding had a purpose, though. Jet instructed her to find out all she could on the towns of planet Gunsmoke.

In her travels, she'd discovered a lot about the place and the life there. It wasn't easy to survive, much like it wasn't easy on old Earth. Every town relied on generators for everything - food, the main priority. Technology was severely limited. Computer systems were simple. Modes of travel were even simpler. The longer distances between towns were done by something called a 'sand steamer'. Regular vehicles existed, but nothing highly evolved, however.

"La la la la," she sang to herself as she continued to delve into the computer files of Bernardelli Insurance Company.

Ein lifted his head as he watched her surf through the claims files. Suddenly, he barked.

Pulling up one side of her goggles, Ed looked to the dog. "What is it, Ein?"

Ein barked at the screen scrolling through files.

She turned back to it then noticed what the data dog had. "Hmm. This is weird." She clicked away on the keyboard. She paused and read through the files as they rolled through her goggles at a slower speed. "Lots and lots of money being paid out to people because of ... hmmm."

"Find out anything?" Jet entered the room. It's taken a while but he'd managed to get everything recalibrated and back online on the bridge. The rest of the ship needed various structural repairs, and those would be the most difficult. The jolt through time and space had knocked the **Bebop** to hell. He only hoped he could get the ship back in the air again.

"I found _lots_!" she answered, still reading the list of insurance claims.

"Like what?" Jet sat down on the couch behind her, glancing from the back of the girl's head to the computer screen. "What's this?"

"Insurance claims." She rested her chin in her palms, bopping her head from side to side as she continued to hum.

"Why're you looking through those?"

"Ein saw something weird."

"_Ein_?" Jet looked over to the dog, who sat at the other end of the couch, panting. "What was weird?"

"All these claims are filed because of the same reason."

"What's the reason?"

"A man!"

Jet blinked then focused on the screen. One man was the source of that many claims? Soon, the screen came to a halt. The list was done. "Does this man have a name?"

"Uh huh." Ed pulled up her goggles, rested them on the top of her head then pointed to the name that appeared on her screen countless times. "Vash the Stampede!"

_Vash the ... Stampede?_ Jet sat back on the couch. What kind of planet had he landed them on? One man did that much damage? No wonder the place was a barren wasteland. "Did you find anything on the guy himself?"

"Haven't looked yet." She cracked her knuckles. "I'll start after I eat and take Ein outside." Ein jumped up at the mention of his name and going outside.

Jet nodded. "Don't wander away too far," he admonished as he watched Ed prepare to leave. "We don't know what's out there." _Well, we know of one thing ..._ he added in his head as he looked back to Ed's computer.

"Don't worry!" Ed called out as she and Ein vanished around the corner.

-

"Milly, look!" Meryl reigned her thomas to a stop and hopped out of the saddle. "It's those ships we saw earlier!"

Milly stopped by Meryl's thomas and slid down from her own saddle. "I told you we'd find them, ma'am!" she called out. She ran to catch up to Meryl. "I hope they're okay."

"They don't seem to have crashed," Meryl said as they reached the two smaller ships. She circled around one while Milly checked out the other. "No one's here. You see anything?"

Milly climbed up to the cockpit of Faye's Red-Tail and peeked inside. "Uh- uh. Empty!"

Meryl put her hands on her hips. "That's odd," she murmured. "Why would they land here and desert their ships?" She looked up as Milly rejoined her. "Where do you suppose they went?"

After considering the options, Milly said, "April City isn't too far from here. Maybe they walked the rest of the way?" Or so she hoped. The idea of meeting the people who'd piloted these things made her a bit giddy. "I'm sure that's where they are."

"Let's hope you're right."

More To Come ... Song Title Used: "Reverence" by The Jesus And Mary Chain


	5. We Are Going To Be Friends

Chapter 5: "We Are Going To Be Friends" 

-

"Hey!" Faye grabbed Spike's arm, yanking him a halt, as she pointed across the dirt street. "Look at that." Her eyes grew wider and she licked her lips in anticipation. "A place ... to get ... _food_." Her stomach growled at the very thought of it. Before Spike could remind her that they had no money that any merchant on this planet would take, Faye was across the street, throwing open the doors to Ali's Saloon.

As she entered the nearly empty saloon, she made a beeline for the woman behind the bar. Leaning against the counter for support, she waved her arms to get her attention. "Hey! Down here!"

Ali finished wiping a glass dry and she exchanged a glance with Will. "I've never seen her before," she quietly said. Her brow furrowed when she got a better look at how the stranger was dressed. "What odd clothing she has on."

Will took inventory of the dark-haired stranger. She was the most attractive woman he'd seen in ages. Not many women in April City were what a man could consider a "looker". Or he just kept running into the ugly ones. "She looks fine to me," he commented.

Ali rolled her eyes and went to the other end of the bar, forcing herself to smile at her new customer. "Hello. Welcome. What can I get for you this afternoon?"

Faye rubbed her fingers over her burning, dry throat. "Whatever you have handy." She watched Ali search for a bottle of liquor on the wall behind the counter. "If you have anything to eat back there, that'd be wonderful, too," she sweetly added.

As Ali served the drink to Faye, Will moved to Faye's end of the bar, bringing his drink with him. He took the empty stool next to Faye. He watched with interest as she filled, gulped down and then refilled her glass with the liquor Ali'd given to her.

"Never seen you in here before," he greeted with a smile when she finally took notice of him. He poured the next drink for her. "Not from around here, huh?"

Faye side-glanced at him as Ali dropped a plate of food on the counter in front of her. Instead of answering him, she picked up the strange meat and sank her teeth into it. Whatever it was, it tasted _fantastic_.

Will chuckled. "Haven't eaten in a while, I see."

Ali stood in front of Faye. "That'll be 10 double dollars, ma'am," she tightly informed her.

Faye stopped chewing as she met the woman's hard gaze. _Shit._ In her excitement of finding food and a drink, the money situation had completely slipped her mind. "Um ..." She swallowed down the bite in her mouth. "I'm a ... little short of cash." She nervously grinned at the barmaid.

Shaking her head, Ali reached for the plate and the bottle. "Then you don't get served. I'm not running a charity here, lady."

Will waved her hands back. "Leave it. I'll handle her tab." He grinned at Faye who eyed him warily, then went back to eating. "Ali's a nice gal, most of the time." He gave her another once over. "Not as nice as _you_ ... "

_Please. Spare me_, she thought, rolling her eyes. _I'm going to vomit this back up if he doesn't shut his trap._

Not ready to give up on her, Will leaned closer. "If you need money, I know of a couple ways someone like _you _could earn it," he murmured in her ear.

Faye looked down when she felt this sleazebag's hand squeeze her bare thigh. Her eyes lifted until they met his and Will wriggled his eyebrows at her, knowingly. "If you want to keep that hand, creep, back off," she evenly replied.

He glared at her as he pulled his hand back. "Hey, now. I bought you dinner. You could show some appreciation," he snapped.

"I am. You're still alive after pulling that shit." She nodded to his hand. "Get the hell away from me."

Will gritted his teeth in anger. "Just a second, you bitch - " He started to get up from his stool but a hand clamped onto his shoulder and forced him back down.

"Why don't you do as the lady says and back off?" Wolfwood suggested, his hand gripped Will's shoulder tightly. "You were decent enough to buy her dinner, now be decent enough to leave her alone."

Faye regarded the one who'd come to her aid with a certain amount of suspicion. As this asshole Will had proved, most people had an angle when they offered assistance. Even though she could've handled it on her own, she allowed the man to play the hero.

"I've had about enough outta you, priest," Will growled. He reached underneath his coat, pulled out his gun and shoved the barrel of it into Wolfwood's gut. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he added, "Now ... _you _back off. Or I'll send you up to your God."

Her eyes went from the silver gun jammed into the midsection of her would- be rescuer then up to his face. He had no fear; it was as though a gun wasn't even involved. _This idiot's going to get himself killed with the theatrics_, Faye thought, shaking her head a little. _And he doesn't even care._ Now where had she seen _that_ attitude before?

Another gun clicked as its hammer cocked. A familiar piece appeared in Faye's line of sight, the end of it's barrel pressing into the back of Will's head.

Will's eyes widened when he felt the pressure of a gun to his skull. His fingers trembled and he tried to get a look at whoever was behind him.

"Isn't threatening a priest a sure path to bad karma?" Spike asked as he grinned at the idiot on the other end of his gun. He noticed the gun stuck into the priest's stomach. "Why don't you put that away before someone gets himself killed?"

The gun clattered to the floor and Will raised up his hands so Spike could see them. "S-see? It's gone. C'mon, guy! I didn't mean any harm." He tried to laugh but it came out as more of a frightened squeak. "Look at her." He gestured to Faye beside him. "You're tellin' me that you wouldn't have given it a shot?"

"I don't think that's a word you want to use to a man with a gun to your head," Wolfwood said. He caught Spike's eye for a second, noting the amusement on the other man's face. "If you would be so kind ... " He turned Will's head so he looked at Faye instead. "Apologize to the lady."

Will licked his lips, nervous. He had no idea what kind of psycho was behind him. At least no one else was in the saloon besides Ali. This was the most humiliating experience of his adult life. He closed his eyes when the gun barrel jabbed him, hard. "All right!" He opened his eyes and looked Faye in hers. "I'm sorry. I apologize."

Spike uncocked his gun and withdrew it from the man's head. "That wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

Wolfwood stepped back as Will straightened out his coat. The man was visibly irked that he'd been made a fool of by them.

"Maybe if the bitch didn't dress that way, a fella wouldn't get the wrong idea," Will snorted.

Wolfwood made a move towards Will but Faye held up a hand, stopping him. "I can handle this, thanks," she calmly informed him. Her gaze shifted to Will, who sat before her, smirking. With no warning, she drew back a fist then let a wicked right hook fly into his face. The force of her punch sent him ass over tea kettle and he landed hard on the floor. She flexed her fingers as she glared at him, lying there, out cold.

"I tried to warn him," Spike said as he holstered his gun.

"Bad karma," Wolfwood added at the same time Spike did.

Wolfwood picked up Will's gun then slid it across the counter to Ali. "Give him that when he finally wakes up, would you?"

She nodded then swallowed hard. During the whole incident, she couldn't move a muscle. She didn't want trouble in her place and Will had brought on plenty today.

"Sorry about that," Spike apologized, gaining the young blonde's attention.

"Oh ... don't worry about it. Will's usually a nice man. Until he has too many." She smiled sadly at Spike. "Maybe he'll learn a lesson this time."

Wolfwood dropped a few bills onto the counter. "For the lady's tab," he said, gesturing to Faye who finished off the last of the food on her plate.

Ali managed a smile then looked over to Spike, who was still behind her counter. "Would you like anything?" she asked. Before he could refuse, she quickly added, "It's on the house."

Faye narrowed her eyes at the barmaid. The young woman had stars in her eyes as she gazed at Spike. _Not running a charity, huh? What a crock of -_

"Sure."

Ali beamed. "It'll only take a minute!"

Spike looked to Wolfwood. "Never saw a priest do something like that before," he said. He offered a hand to him. "Spike Spiegel."

"Nicholas Wolfwood," he replied accepting it. "I'm not what most people expect in a priest, either." He looked down to Faye, a smile appearing on his face. "And you're definitely not what _you_ appear to be."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not above knocking out a priest."

"I wouldn't doubt it, Miss ... ?"

"Faye Valentine." She poured herself another drink. She paused as Ali brought over a plate for Spike, not liking the way the blonde looked at him. She wasn't above knocking about some two-bit barmaid, either.

He sat down on the stool next to her then looked at Will lying on the floor. "D'you think we should pick him up?" he asked, then looked over to Spike.

Spike considered it. "I was taught to keep garbage off of the floor."

"So was I."

Faye groaned as she poured herself another drink. One Spike Spiegel was more than enough to deal with. This Nicholas Wolfwood was cut from the same cloth as he. _We have to get off of this planet. We **have** to._

-

"Ein!" Ed looked underneath one of the shaded portions of ground near the Bebop. She frowned as she stood straight. "Ein! Where are you!" Hands on her hips, she "hmph"ed. "Where did that dog go?" she muttered to herself. Barking caught her attention and she jumped for joy. "Ein!"

As Ed came around to the other side of the **Bebop**, she skidded to a halt. Her eyes widened when she discovered what had caused the dog to bark. About a dozen or so men, dressed up like old-time cowboys and riding strange animals, leveled their guns at her. Ein growled at them as he put himself between the strangers and Ed.

Slowly, the girl raised her hands above her head. "Ed gives up," she said, grinning uneasily.

"I dunno, Talbert," said one of the men, leaning towards the leader. "She doesn't look like an alien to me."

Bob Talbert tightened his grip on his gun. "That's what they want you to think, idiot!" he snapped. "That they're human, like us. Probably sent this one out here, thinking we'd let our guard down because it's a ... kid."

Ein snarled at the leader then barked.

"And the dog?" asked another.

"All part of their ruse!" He took in the massive spaceship towering behind Ed, who still had her hands in the air. "Look at it, boys," he sighed. "Once we kill these aliens ... we'll make a fortune off of their technology."

The girl bit her lower lip. "Kill Ed?" She wasn't so sure these men were playing a game anymore.

-

Jet hauled himself up from the floor of the bridge then wiped away the sweat from his brow and reached for the container of water nearby. Since landing on this planet, the temperature in the ship had reached almost unbearable levels.

"Damn it," he swore as he remembered how Spike and Faye took off more than two hours before. They're probably in some sort of trouble by now, he thought then took a swig of the water. "What the - ?" He clanked the container on the table as he moved towards the forward window.

Down below, a group of heavily armed, strangely dressed me, had Ed and Ein at gunpoint. Ed held her hands in the air while Ein went crazy with barking that Jet couldn't hear. "Shit." He sprinted out of the room, headed for the main cargo hold. On his way, he stopped to grab a few of his weapons.

-

"Anyone else here with you?" Talbert demanded as he and other dismounted. He kept the barrel of his rifle pointed towards the ground but his finger remained on the trigger. "_Answer me_!"

Ed's legs trembled slightly with fear. She didn't understand why these men were so angry with her. She was only playing in their desert, nothing more.

"Bob, she looks awfully scared for an alien," a different man said, unsure about the whole situation.

"Shut up, Harry! Don't let that innocent face fool you." Talbert glared at Ed. "You'll find out just how 'human' it is when we blow a hole in it."

Upon hearing that comment, Ein charged Talbert. Baring teeth, he zeroed in on the leader. No one would hurt Ed.

Talbert waited until the dog was close enough before he kicked Ein aside. He fired a round at the yelping animal. "Stay away from me, goddamn you!" he yelled. He loaded another round into the chamber and aimed for the dog.

A shot from somewhere behind Ed startled the man and Talbert lowered his rifle as he and others searched for the source of it. Soon, Jet, reloading his own gun, emerged from underneath the **Bebop**. He came up behind Ed, his eyes scanning the crew assembled before him.

"Put your hands down, Ed," he quietly said. Once she did, Jet pushed her behind him. "A lot of firepower you have to harass one little kid, don't you think?" he addressed his unwelcome visitors.

"We know what you are, alien!" Talbert called out. He kept an eye on the weapon in Jet's hand. If that bastard so much as twitched ... "Saw your ship crash ... "

"So, what? You thought you'd come out here, wave your guns in a kid's face and feel better about yourselves?" Jet asked.

"That ain't no kid. You two aren't human! _Nobody_ human has technology like that." He nodded to the ship behind Ed and Jet. "Since you won't be needin' that ship anymore, we'll just help ourselves to it."

Jet started to raise his gun to defend himself against these crazed locals, but another voice spoke. It came from above them all.

"I believe, gentlemen, that helping yourself to something that doesn't belong to you is more commonly referred to as 'stealing'."

Jet and Ed gazed up at the mysterious blonde man wearing odd sunglasses and a long red coat, standing atop the** Bebop**, looking upon them in an almost regal manner. "Who in the hell is _this_ guy?" he wondered, not even realizing he'd spoken aloud.

Talbert glared at the idiot interfering with his mission. "Why don't you mind your own business, mister?" he called out. "Unless you're one of these alien creeps yourself. In which case, we'll put a bullet in _you_, too!"

"That has a name, also," Vash replied. He cased the crowd of men gathered before him; men who threatened the life of an innocent child, of all things. "It's called 'murder'." He sighed sadly as he shook his head. "I can't tolerate either one of these things, especially murder."

"Hey, Bob, maybe we should just leave?" suggested one of them.

"Shut up!" He pointed his rifle at the dissenter. "We're not goin' anywhere!"

"Ed, take Ein and go back inside the ship," Jet ordered, patting her on the shoulder. "Go."

She nodded, scooped up Ein in her arms and dashed for the safety of the **Bebop**.

"Get back here!" Talbert yelled when he saw Ed sprinting for the ship. He turned a bit as some of the others mounted up and prepared to leave. "Where the hell d'ya think you're going?"

"Home. And if you're smart, that's what you'll do, too." The man shook his head, cast one last glance up at the man in the red coat then headed back towards April City.

"Looks like your friends have more brain power than you do," Jet said as the last of the posse rode away. He used his thumb to pull back the hammer on his gun when Talbert turned back to him. "Don't make me use this."

"I don't need them. Not to take care of the two of you!" Talbert brought up his rifle, taking aim on Jet first.

_Idiot_, Jet sadly thought as he brought up his own weapon. Before he could squeeze his trigger, a single shot rang out and he watched as Talbert dropped his rifle onto the ground. _What the ... ? _He turned to look back up at the blonde man.

Vash, arm still extended, stared down at the rifleman. The late afternoon suns' light glittered off of the surface of his silver gun. He fired another shot when Talbert made a move for his weapon. The bullet struck the ground half an inch away from the man's left foot. "I told you before," he evenly said, gaining Talbert's attention. "I cannot tolerate murder. Leave the gun ... and go."

Talbert glanced from Jet to his rifle. His jaw clenched tightly as he backed away from it. After glaring at the man in the red coat, who still trained his gun on him, Talbert mounted his thomas and spurred it into a gallop.

Jet shook his head, amazed by what had taken place. It wasn't the fact that these cowardly sons of bitches had run, it was that they'd run and not a single person was dead in the aftermath. His gaze traveled back up to the blonde who'd helped them. The stranger expertly twirled his silver gun back into its holster.

_Who** is** this guy?_

Vash closed his coat, sighing at the same time. _Wow, that was a close one_, he thought. He was almost sure he'd have to relieve Jet of his gun as well. Luckily, the other man wasn't trigger happy.

"Hi-hi!" Ed cried out as she appeared out of nowhere behind Vash atop the **Bebop**. "Uh oh ... "

Vash fought to retain his balance after being startled by Ed. He wasn't successful, though. He fall backwards, landing hard on the top of the ship, but when he thought he was safe, he began to slide. And he kept sliding, right over the curve of the ship. Screaming like a terrified little girl, Vash plummeted to the ground until he landed with a loud thump on his back. After he coughed a few times, he lifted a hand to adjust his sunglasses which sat cock-eyed on his face.

"Twice in one day," he groaned. "This is _so_ embarrassing."

Ed peered over the side of the ship. She grinned when she saw that Vash was still alive. Sitting on the hull, she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Look out below! Here comes Ed!"

"_Ed_!" Jet ran forward, a hand raised up in a vain attempt to stop her from what she was about to do. He came to an abrupt halt when the girl pushed herself away from the ship with her hands, sliding down the metal with a big smile on her face. He watched helplessly as she tumbled down to the ground, headed straight for Vash.

"Oh no ..." Vash whispered when he saw Ed falling towards him.

"Oof!" Ed opened her eyes and found herself face to face with Vash. She yanked his sunglasses off of his face and smiled brightly. "That was fun! I want to go again!"

Jet picked her up off of Vash and set her on her feet. "What is wrong with you? You could've been killed!" he snapped at her. The girl ignored him though, her interest on Vash's sunglasses. Looking to the man, he offered his left hand. "You okay?"

Vash accepted it and he pulled himself to his feet. His other hand went to his back and he laughed a little as he looked to Jet. "It's nothing. I'm just fine." He winced as he made himself stand straight. Something popped in his back and relieved the pressure.

Ed, now wearing Vash's sunglasses, sang a gibberish tune as she danced around him and Jet. "At least _she's_ okay," Vash added, his hand leaving his back to gesture to the girl.

"I should say thanks, for what you did." Jet gestured in the direction the men had fled.

Vash grinned as he held up his hands. "Oh! No thanks needed! Just doing what I do." He shook his head, disappointment washing over his face. "Some people don't know how to show kindness to strangers. They're not all like that, though." He looked down when he felt something tugging at his coat.

"Strange man have anything to eat?" Ed inquired as she tried to see what Vash had underneath his coat. "All that fun made me hungry."

"Ed." Jet snagged her by the shirt and pulled her back. He offered an apologetic smile to Vash. "Sorry about that. I'm Jet Black, by the way."

"And Ed is Ed!" She heartily shook one of Vash's hands. She removed the sunglasses and examined them closely before she chomped at one of the stems with her teeth. She whimpered. "Ed needs food."

Jet glanced down at her, before saying "I never caught your name, though" to Vash.

Striking a regal pose, Vash cleared his throat. "Defender of the defenseless! A wanderer of this great land - " A sweeping gesture to the desert surrounding them. "Serving only those who require my assistance. A warrior for _two _-" He put up two fingers, shoving them in Jet's face. "- ideals!"

Jet looked from the two fingers to the man, wondering what happened to the suave gunman from five minutes ago. "And what would those two ideals be?"

"Love and peace!" Vash replied, his chest swelling with pride.

_Please, don't let him break out into song_, Jet beggingly thought as he stared at Vash. After a few moments, he flatly asked, "Do you have a nickname or something we could use? That's a pretty damn long title you have there." And he used to think Ed's name was a mouthful.

"Oh!" Vash laughed as he brushed one hand through his hair and let the other drop to his side. "Yeah. You can just call me Vas - _AAAAH_!" The introduction turned into a pained yell. He lifted his right arm and found Ed hanging from it by her teeth. "Is there a reason you're doing that?" he calmly asked her.

Ed wrapped her arms around his then let go with her mouth. "You taste weird," she told him. Her stomach growled and she frowned.

Jet, though, shook his head. Not at what Ed had done, but for the name the stranger had given them. Sure, he hadn't exactly finished saying it, yet it was close enough. He sighed as Ed continued to swing back and forth on Vash's arm. _There's no way this is Vash the Stampede. No one **this dense** could possibly be the most destructive force on the planet._

"Hey! Give those back!"

Jet looked up. Vash chased a laughing Ed around the Bebop. She waved his sunglasses above her head, sing-songing, "Can't catch Ed! Can't catch Ed!" Ein joined in, jumping up and down, barking like crazy. Soon, Vash ended up tripping over the dog and he landed flat on his face. Placing the glasses top of her head, Ed straddled herself on Vash's back. "This is fun!" She poked him with her fingers. "Get up! Play another game with me!"

Groaning, Jet slapped a hand over his eyes as he leaned his head back. _Who **is** this idiot!_

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "We Are Going To Be Friends" by The White Stripes


	6. No Need To Argue

Chapter 6: "No Need To Argue" 

-

Wolfwood looked from Spike to Faye and shook his head. He'd heard some wild stories in his day, but the one these two had told him, it defied belief. Good thing he was a priest. Holes in time and space? Then again, what other explanation _could_ they have for being there? He was good about picking up on BS and they'd come off as sincere.

"Well ..." he sighed. "If you want my opinion, I can only say one thing."

Spike leaned back in his chair. They'd joined Wolfwood at his table more than half an hour ago. He didn't see the need to run back to the ship just yet and it'd be in their favor to have an ally or two. Especially one who was a priest. "What would that be?" he asked.

Wolfwood raised his glass, smiled, almost sadly, then replied, "Welcome to our world. Get comfortable, because I don't think you two are going anywhere." He swallowed the drink and clinked the empty glass on the table.

Spike nodded, not surprised by the response. He'd figured as much himself. The situation appeared more grim with each passing hour. The only bright spot was that the planet offered them work which they were very skilled in doing. At least they wouldn't starve.

Faye drummed her fingers on the table and sighed heavily. "I can't believe I'm going to be trapped _here_ for the rest of my life," she muttered. Her eyes traveled around the saloon, the late afternoon sunlight giving the place a softer, warmer appearance. "This isn't where I pictured myself in ten years. The edge of civilization."

Nodding a bit in agreement, Spike placed his empty glass on the table. Maybe this was just a dream? Perhaps he would wake up and it would be files away with the rest of his bad memories. He loosened his tie a bit more. No. If it were a dream, not even his screwed up subconscious would have it be this goddamn hot.

"Aren't you supposed to offer us words of hope?" Faye asked as she looked over to Wolfwood. "Isn't that what holy people do? Tell others to have faith and trust in a higher power?" She could use a few lies about now. Anything to fend off the depression fast sweeping over her. Alcohol only numbed so much.

Before he could answer, Wolfwood's attention went to the doorway of the saloon. A smile appeared on his face when he recognized the two women who'd just entered.

Meryl, hunched over slightly, scanned the room for anyone out of the ordinary. The townspeople she and Milly had spoken with said a couple - a man and a woman - had gone into this place almost an hour ago. So far, Meryl only saw the regular riffraff these places usually attracted.

"Ma'am, look! It's Mr. Wolfwood." Milly grinned brightly then noticed the two strangers, dressed differently than anyone else in the place, sitting with him. "Those must be the people we're looking for." She hurried across the room, waving to them. "Hello!"

Meryl let out a long breath then followed. She was tired, thirsty and hungry. Hours had gone by since they'd left Illinois City to search for the spaceship and those aboard it. Now, here they are, in a bar, with Nicholas Wolfwood.

"These are the people from the ship we saw," Milly excitedly said as Meryl arrived at the table. She gestured from one to the other, introducing them to her superior. "This is Mr. Spike Spiegel and Miss Faye Valentine. Mr. Wolfwood has been keeping them company, isn't that right?"

Meryl nodded to each of them before dropping down into the nearest empty seat. "Meryl Stryfe, of Bernardelli Insurance Company," she tiredly replied.

"I'll be right back, ma'am," said Milly. "I'll get us something to eat."

"Don't expect any _charity_!" Faye called after Milly as the tall woman headed over to Ali behind the counter.

"What kind of insurance company sends out two women to investigate a crashed ship?" Spike asked before taking a drag off the cigarette he'd bummed off of Wolfwood. "We didn't damage anything, did we?" Which, technically, would've been Jet's fault since he was the one flying.

Meryl leaned back in the chair, one hand rubbing her sore shoulder. "The _company_ didn't send us out here," she answered. "We were in one of the nearby towns when your ship flew over. We thought you might need help."

"That's decent of you."

"You come alone?" Wolfwood asked. He'd half-expected to see Vash waltz into the saloon behind the insurance girls. However, he appeared to be a no-show.

Faye, chin rested in the palm of one hand, turned her empty glass upside down with the other, her attention barely on the conversation. She couldn't get being stuck in this hellhole off of her mind. Nothing would be able to.

Meryl nodded, her expression a mixture of anger and frustration. "Yes, we're alone. He didn't come with us."

"Why not?"

"He didn't want to," Milly continued for Meryl as she returned to the table, balancing two plates and two cups in her hands and arms. She sat down in the last empty chair, between Meryl and Spike, then sipped her drink as Meryl took one of the plates from her. "Mr. Vash wanted to stay in Illinois City."

The glass dropped out of Faye's hand and shattered on the floor as the woman dove across the table. She grabbed Milly by her coat, her eyes wider than ever, and she yanked Milly towards her. "Did you say '_Vash_'!" she exclaimed. The madness of greed had taken her over as she shook the other woman. "As in Vash the Stampede? The Humanoid Typhoon? _The sixty billion bounty of my dreams?_" She laughed in hysterical glee. "Tell me!"

"You'll have to excuse Faye," Spike apologized to Milly as he worked to unclamp Faye's hands from her. "She bumped her head during our landing. She's been out of her mind more than usual since." He managed to free her. Barely.

"_She knows where he is_!" Faye pointed to Milly as Spike picked her up off of the table. "Let go of me!" She pried at his hands which were firmly locked together around her waist as he held her back. Her feet didn't even touch the floor.

Meryl shifted her tired gaze over to Wolfwood. "Bounty hunters, huh?" It was a statement, not a question.

He nodded then flicked the ashes off the end of his cigarette. "Yep."

"Wait!" Faye stopped struggling with Spike long enough to glare at the priest. "_You_ know this guy too? And you didn't tell us?" With renewed vigor, she made a forward lunge for Wolfwood. "I should kick your - "

"Excuse us," Spike said as nonchalantly as he could to the three sitting at the table. He carried Faye, still kicking and cursing, out of the saloon.

"What are you doing?" she yelled. "I'm not done with him yet!"

Meryl sighed as she picked up her fork. "This is going to be a long evening."

-

In the alleyway between the saloon and the building next to it, Spike dropped Faye on her feet, turned her around and pushed her back against the wall by her shoulders. "What the hell are you doing?"

"They know where he is!" she shot back. She shoved his hands off of her shoulders. "Sixty billion! Since we're stuck on this rock, why shouldn't we enjoy it? I know that priest is your new best friend, Spike, but I don't care. He and those two with him are going to tell me where to find this guy!"

He seized a hold of her arm before she could walk away from him. "I'm not saying we _shouldn't_ go for this, but you're ruining whatever chances we have." He let her go when she made no attempt to struggle. "They're our only link to him and your psychotic female behavior is bound to scare them away."

Faye folded her arms across her stomach as she smirked at him. "I thought you weren't interested in chasing this bounty?"

Spike stared at the wall for a few moments then looked back to her. "That was before, when it seemed like a waste of time," he quietly replied. He didn't necessarily like his plan to string these three along until they finally led him to Vash; they'd gone out of their way to help them. Still, this was business. Nothing personal.

"Just so we're clear." She held up a finger then jabbed it into his shoulder. "We split this bounty 50/50. If you want to share your cut with Jet, then that's your decision." Her eyes glimmered as she clasped her hands together in anticipation. "That other thirty billion ... is _mine_."

-

"I wonder what they're doing out there?" Meryl stared at the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. She'd never seen anyone go quite that crazy over the bounty on Vash's head before. It worried her. Not because of the likely property damage that would result from it, either.

"Probably devising a plan to trick us into giving up Vash," Wolfwood replied. That's what he would've been doing in their place. Spike Spiegel worked on the same wavelength he did, so that convinced him even more. The woman was another matter. Sure, she'd acted nothing short of psychotic in front of them, but she didn't strike him as a bad person. Just an overly greedy one.

"Such a shame ... " Milly murmured. "They really don't seem so bad! I never would've guessed they were bounty hunters. They aren't like any that I've met before."

Meryl sighed. "We can't hold it against them, I suppose. It is a legitimate profession. A profession that costs our employer a lot of money whenever Vash is involved, but legitimate all the same."

"You wish they'd just leave Mr. Vash alone," Milly told her with a laugh and a wink. "Maybe if we let them see how nice he is, they'll forget about it?"

"Bounty hunters care about one thing - _money_. Doesn't matter how nice of a guy he is, they only see the price tag on his head."

Milly frowned at what Wolfwood said. "I don't believe that. You've seen how happy Mr. Vash can make people, even after they've tried to kill him. Things always turn out for the best whenever he's around!"

Wolfwood only shook his head. He wished he had that kind of optimism about human nature. Unfortunately, most people didn't inspire that feeling within him.

-

"Do what I told you and this will work out," Spike told Faye as they stopped just outside of the doors.

"Why are you making all of the decisions?"

"Because I'm in charge. Remember?"

"I hope you enjoy it," she muttered then headed back into the saloon. Running a hand through her hair, Faye approached the table. She cleared her throat, straightened out her clothes and calmly addressed them. "I'm so very sorry about my behavior. Your friend and his sixty billion bounty - " She paused. The words caused physical pain now. " - are the least of my worries."

Spike barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When Faye laid a line of bullshit, she went all out. He pulled her chair back up to the table. "Sit down."

Faye forced herself to smile at him. _Sixty billion. Sixty billion. You can deal with his bullshit for money like that._ She sat down in the chair.

Meryl glanced from Spike to Faye. She wasn't convinced that they weren't interested in Vash's bounty. She couldn't do anything about it, except make sure they never crossed paths with him.

"Where are you from?" Milly asked, breaking the tense silence between them. She smiled. "We've never had visitors from another planet before. I haven't even been everywhere on this one!"

"We're from a place called Mars," Spike answered. He exchanged a side- glance with Wolfwood. "It's ... far away."

"Really? Then how'd you get out here?"

"It's a long story," Wolfwood said for Spike. "I'll tell you all about it later."

"Will your ship be able to fly again?" Meryl asked, trying not to sound too eager for their answer. The quicker they left, the faster she'd feel at ease again. "I mean, you must have had a heck of a landing."

"Jet's working on it," Faye replied as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs.

"How many people were on your ship?"

"Four."

Meryl raised a suspicious eyebrow. "_Only_ four?"

Faye looked the other woman dead in the eye. "Five, if you count the dog." She itched to get that money. No. She had to play it Spike's way. Cracking one of these do-gooders upside the head with her gun wasn't part of his way. She'd have preferred it. Not only for the information, either. Meryl had begun to thoroughly annoy her.

"Four is more than enough for what we do," Spike said, drawing Meryl's attention away from Faye.

"I don't need to ask what _that_ is."

He stared at Meryl, wondering why this one was so hostile? The big girl was more than friendly and she was the one Faye'd almost strangled. He picked up his jacket from the back of his chair. "We should be on our way back to our ship. Jet is probably wondering where we are."

Meryl felt a twinge of satisfaction as she watched Spike get up from the table. Her curiosity about them was more than quenched. They were alive and worked to repair their ship so they could leave. She'd done her moral duty. Now they could do theirs. By going away.

Milly, on the other hand, frowned. "So soon?"

"Here." Wolfwood pushed a few bills of his own cash across the table towards Faye and Spike. "That should hold you ... until you're able to earn some of your own."

Faye snatched the money before Spike could get his hands on it. She smiled deviously as she tucked the folded bills into her shirt. "I'll hold onto it, if you don't mind."

"That was generous of you!" Milly said to Wolfwood with that big smile of hers. She looked up at the two newcomers. "It was very nice to meet you. I hope you're able to fix your ship soon, too!"

"So do we." Spike nodded to Meryl and Wolfwood in turn. "Thanks."

"Let's go. We have a long _walk _ahead of us," Faye grumbled, giving Spike a push forward. She offered one last tight-lipped smile to the women and a more genuine one to Wolfwood. "Goodbye." She gave a slight wave with her hand.

Once they were gone, Meryl turned to Wolfwood. "Tell me _everything _you know about them," she ordered. "Don't leave anything out." If she planned to keep them away from Vash, she would need all the information she could get.

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "No Need To Argue" by The Cranberries


	7. I Think I Love You

Chapter 7: "I Think I Love You" 

-

Faye stretched her arms over her head once her feet hit the metal floor of the bay back on the **Bebop**. It'd been quite an eventful day and she was tired. A long shower and going straight to bed were on the agenda. She watched Spike walk by, then she sprinted to catch up to him.

"This plan of yours better work, Spike." She stepped into the next corridor, blocking his path as she turned to face him. "Because if it doesn't, we do it _my_ way." She jerked a thumb at herself.

Pulling off his jacket, Spike stepped around her without saying a word. He continued down the corridor, headed for the main living area of the ship. He wanted to go to sleep. Even as he entered the room, he wasn't sure if he'd make it to the couch. Lazily, he slung his coat onto the nearest railing.

"Jet?" he asked, looking around.

Faye came in and tossed her own jacket next to Spike's. "He's probably on the bridge." Her eyes narrowed briefly in curiosity when she noticed someone already on the couch. "Spike."

Spike followed Faye's finger. "Huh." He came around on one end of the couch as Faye positioned herself on the other, her hands firmly planted on her hips.

Vash lay on the couch Spike usually occupied, his hands locked together behind his head as a pillow, sleeping peacefully. He wasn't alone, either. Curled up near his feet was Ein and lying on her left side, snoring quietly, was Edward.

"Who's _this_?" Faye asked in a hushed tone.

Spike shrugged. Obviously Jet and Ed made a friend of their own while they were away.

As she looked at the man, Faye put together a few details in her head. Long red coat, blonde hair, and she caught a glimpse of a gun, slightly exposed, underneath his coat. Slowly and quietly, Faye drew her own weapon then aimed it at Vash's head.

"What are you doing?"

Faye pressed a finger to her lips, shushing him then regripped her gun. "Look at him," she whispered, nodding to Vash. "Red coat ... blonde ... a nice shiny gun ..." She was already spending her thirty billion. On what, she didn't yet know.

Ein's eyes lazily opened when he heard the click of a gun. The Corgi's head lifted and he looked from Faye to Spike, each with a weapon trained on Vash.

"Get down, stupid dog," Faye hissed at him.

Ed yawned loudly as she rolled over onto her stomach. She murmured something under her breath and sighed.

Faye gestured for Spike to grab Ed and she would move Ein out of their way. On a silent count of three, Faye snagged Ein by his collar and tossed him off of the couch. At the other end, Spike picked Ed up by the back of her shirt with one hand.

"Yaaah!" Ed exclaimed when Spike dropped her onto the floor beside him. "Hey! What is going on?" she demanded, rubbing a hand over her butt. "I was _sleeping_!"

Ignoring Ed, both waited for some sort of movement from Vash, yet he remained still. They exchanged a glance then Faye dared to poke the man with her fingers. Nothing.

"You think he's dead?" Spike asked, only half-joking.

"Dead or alive, I get paid. _We_ get paid," she quickly corrected herself when she saw the look Spike gave her. She bit her lower lip, studying Vash. "Let's tie him up, though. Just to be sure."

"Find us some rope, Ed," Spike ordered, waving a hand at her. "Or anything else we can use to tie this guy up."

"Why you wanna tie up Ed's new friend?"

"Your _friend_?" Faye laughed sharply. "This is my _future_ lying here."

Suddenly, Vash was wide awake and on his knees at Faye's end of the couch, a big grin on his face as he gazed upon her. "You mean _our_ future!" He easily plucked the gun out of the flabbergasted Faye's hand, tossed it aside then whisked her into his arms as he left the couch completely. He cradled the baffled bounty hunter, his hold the only thing keeping Faye off of the floor. "I'm _so_ glad that someone_ finally _sees things _my_ way!"

Spike pulled back the hammer on his gun, and that's when Vash noticed him.

"Uh oh," he murmured upon seeing the gun aimed at him. He looked down to Faye, raising an eyebrow. "You failed to mention a boyfriend."

That brought Faye out of her daze. "_What_!"

He pulled her closer, placing her feet firmly on the floor and he sighed. "There's no way we can talk about this? I mean, what could he possibly have that _I_ don't?"

"Are you insane?" Faye asked, narrowing her eyes slightly on him. "Or just _stupid_?"

Spike lowered his gun, watching Vash with a certain amount of amusement. Did this guy have any idea that they planned to turn him over to the authorities? He put one hand to the back of his head then looked down to Ed. The girl grinned at the man in the red coat.

"Let go!" Faye pushed at Vash but he was much stronger than he looked. "_Spike_!"

"Faye-Faye!" Ed climbed over the back of the couch. This was more fun than the games she and her new friend had played earlier.

"You won't even let me _try_ to convince you?" Vash asked, his tone desperate as Faye kept struggling in his arms. "At least give me a _chance_!"

"_Get off_!" She managed to free one of her arms pinned between her body and Vash's. She smashed her palm into his face, shoving him back from her the best she could. "Spike!" She was losing this battle and no one seemed to care. "_Help me_!"

Vash managed to get Faye's hand away from his face. He was disappointed that she wasn't going to relent to his request. With a heavy sigh, he released her and she wildly backpedaled right into Spike. Tossing her hair out of her face, Faye turned about three shades of red as she fumed at him. She'd never been so humiliated in her entire life.

Clutching his hands together at his heart, Vash declared, very over- dramatically, "Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but someday, you'll realize that you can't live without me!"

"Give me that gun because I'm going to _kill him_!" Faye shouted as she wrestled with Spike for his gun. "Give it to me! Now!" She grunted when Spike managed to pin one of her arms behind her back. Still red-faced, she gritted her teeth at the grinning moron before her.

Ed applauded for Vash. "Yay!"

Spike lowered his voice as he watched Vash take a few bows for his adoring 'audience'. "I don't think this is the guy we're looking for."

"I couldn't care less right now._ I still want to shoot him!_" Faye snarled in reply. She tried to get her arm loose but Spike wasn't about to let go.

"What's going on?" All four turned when Jet entered the room. He looked from Vash to Spike and Faye, noticing the gun in Spike's hand. "I missed something."

Faye used the distraction to yank her arm free and she approached Jet. "_Who is this idiot_?" she demanded, pointing a finger at Vash.

Ed leapt from the couch and Vash barely managed to catch her in his arms. "Vash the Stampede! Ed's new friend!"

Faye's arm dropped to her side and, wide-eyed, she and Spike turned to the blonde man. He was frantically trying to get Ed off of his shoulders. Laughing, the girl grabbed onto his hair and he stumbled back and forth. A moment later, he lost all balance and the both of them tumbled to the floor, landing with a thump.

Ed stood up, looking down at him, hidden from the others' view behind the couch. "Ooops."

"I'm ... fine," was his strained reply.

"You can't be serious." Spike turned to Jet, who nodded in confirmation.

"How do you know the name?" Jet asked as Vash pulled himself up from the floor.

"You mean you don't - "

"He's worth a sixty _billion _bounty!" Faye exclaimed as she seized Jet by his shirt. She winced when she heard Vash fall onto the floor again. "Well, _some_ guy in a red coat with blonde hair named 'Vash' is." She jerked her head in Vash's direction. "It can't be _him_, though."

"Sixty _billion_?" Jet looked from Faye to Spike, waiting for the punchline. "Are you kidding?"

Spike shook his head. "No. Heard about it when we went into the nearest town." He put his gun away, not overly concerned with the threat Vash posed to them. "Guy we talked to said he's leveled whole cities."

All three turned to see Vash wrestling on the floor with Ed and Ein. The girl and the dog were winning.

"Where'd you find him?"

"He found us." He gave them an overview of what transpired while they were in April City. "They all left," he said with a shrug once he'd finished his story. "No one was wounded or killed."

"And that's the same guy?" Spike gestured in Vash's direction.

He nodded. "He's been like ... _that_ ever since," he replied then paused. "Ed and Ein won't leave him, they like him so much. He kept an eye on them while I did repairs." He studied his associates. "You guys really don't plan to turn him over, do you?"

"Well, I -"

"It's sixty _billion_, Jet!" Faye interrupted.

"Which is impressive, but ... " He shifted his gaze back to the man who played with Ed. "I don't see why we should. I owe him for what he did." He looked to Faye and Spike, who stared at him as though he spoke another language. "Ed likes him."

"Who cares! I want that money!"

Spike placed a hand on Faye's shoulder and shook his head when she looked at him. Jet had a point - the man had saved their lives. They owed him something in return.

"You too!" Faye tossed her hands in the air and went over to the couch to sulk. "I'm the only one on this ship who hasn't lost her mind!"

Ed leaned over the back of the couch, grinning. "Faye-Faye, come play with us!"

Faye shoved Ed off the couch then she kept on scowling. _Sixty billion! Right here, on our ship and these two have an attack of stupidity! This Vash idiot must be contagious._

"Huh?" She blinked, her scowl turning to surprise when her gun, handle towards her, appeared in front of her. She followed the arm holding it then frowned when she saw Vash on the other end.

Vash smiled when she made eye contact with him. "A lady as beautiful as you shouldn't be carrying one of these," he said, waving her gun a bit. "I'm here to protect you now. And I always will. Even if you decide to_ not _marry me."

She snatched the gun from his hands and leaned towards him. "_GO! AWAY!_"

Vash, his smile replaced with a more hurt expression, sighed. "I'm beginning to get the impression that you don't like me."

She jumped to her feet, forcing him to stand up straight. "What kind of a fool are you?"

He grinned. "A fool in love with _you_!" he proudly answered.

Jet and Spike smothered their laughter. This was the funniest thing they'd seen in ages. And the fact that Faye was on the receiving end of it, well, that made it all the more entertaining.

"_ARGH!_" She shoved him out of her way then headed for her quarters.

As soon as she was gone, Spike and Jet finally broke down.

"Did you see the_ look _on her face?" Spike howled, wiping a tear from his eye.

Vash, on the other hand, rubbed his chin with his fingers as he stared down the corridor in which Faye had vanished. He glanced at Ed, who appeared next to him. "This is going to be a tough one," he said. He leaned over to her, his hands resting on his knees as he grinned. "But where there's a will ... !"

"There's a Faye-Faye!" Ed cheerfully responded.

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family


	8. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Chapter 8: "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)" 

-

Meryl stared at the empty chair across the table from her. She'd been quiet for the last five minutes, ever since Wolfwood finished telling her the whole story about the crashed spaceship and its crew. They couldn't just be _lost_, they had to be from the past, too, didn't they? Now, even if they did fix their ship, they had nowhere to go. Everything they knew was on the other side of the universe, a part of history.

Groaning, she let her head drop. "What do we _do_?" she murmured, unfazed by her forehead's contact with the table. "This is terrible. No, it's _beyond_ terrible. It's a catastrophe waiting to happen!"

"No wonder they're scared," Milly sadly commented. "I feel so sorry for them."

"Do you realize how this complicates our job, Milly?" Meryl lifted her head, looking to her. "They're _never _leaving. They have the means to follow Vash _anywhere_ he goes!" She buried her face in the palms of her hands. "I don't even want to imagine the _damage_ they'll bring."

"You shouldn't think like that, ma'am," Milly said, patting Meryl's shoulder in a comforting manner. She offered a smile when the other woman lowered her hands from her face. "You should be more positive!"

"Well, they _do_ know what city he's in," Wolfwood reminded them.

Meryl groaned again. "We were sent out here to minimize the destruction, not be the _cause_ of it!"

"We go back to Illinois City and tell Mr. Vash he has to leave as soon as possible," Milly replied with a simple shrug. "Then they don't know where he is and the town is safe."

Meryl considered Milly's idea. Really, it was the only hope they had. The bounty hunters didn't know where Illinois City itself was, or so she prayed. That gave them some time to avert impending disaster.

"If we leave first thing in the morning, we'll be back in town by noon."

"That means we'll have to find a room for the night," Meryl sighed.

"There's a hotel on the other side of town, near the church," Wolfwood informed her.

"We should settle in, then," Meryl replied as she stood up. "We'll be back in a bit." She wasn't finished asking Wolfwood questions about Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine.

As Meryl and Milly left, a man entered the saloon. He sat down at the counter and slouched. "Ali ... give us a bottle of whatever's strongest," he grumbled to the blonde.

Will, conscious once again, lifted his head and turned to the man who'd entered. He chuckled. "Didn't expect to see you back so soon, Bob," he greeted.

The other man muttered as he snatched the bottle from Ali.

"You find any aliens out there?"

Talbert took a long swig then clanked it on the counter. "I found _plenty_, Harman." His fingers tightened around the bottleneck. "Nice ship's out there. Only one guy and a kid on board. Woulda laid claim to it, too, if it hadn't been for that interfering asshole." His gaze slid over to Will. "What the hell happened to you?"

Will absently brushed his fingers over his right eye, which was now black and blue from being punched out by Faye. "Some two bit whore took a cheap shot at me," he tightly replied.

Wolfwood laughed quietly when he heard that. _Yes, she did, didn't she?_

Talbert snorted. "Some_ woman _did that?" He tipped his head back, taking a long drink.

"Never did get her name," Will said. He moved his hand away from his eye as he looked to Talbert. "Wasn't from around here, though. Never seen any woman dressed that way." He laughed. "Who wasn't a _whore_, that is."

"A whore who gave you a _black eye_," Talbert said with a laugh.

Will frowned. "She was stronger than she looked. Had some smart-assed guy with her too."

"You're lucky _he_ didn't knock you on your ass, pal. Where'd they go?"

Will shrugged. "Dunno." He half-turned in his seat to see Wolfwood still in the place. "He was the last one I saw'em with."

"They aren't from around here," Ali quietly said as she looked from Talbert to Will.

"Huh? What d'you mean by that?" Talbert asked, his attention on her now.

"I overheard some of what they told the priest," she continued, keeping her voice hushed. She leaned forward. "They're from another planet. Off of that ship you found out in the desert," she said to Talbert. "They're lost."

Wolfwood looked over his shoulder nonchalantly when the two mens' discussion became very quiet. He eyed Ali between them, the woman was confiding something and he didn't like the way it looked.

As Ali moved away, Talbert and Will exchanged a look. "If they're stuck here ..." Will said, his voice a little louder.

"... imagine how much money we could make offa that ship," Talbert told him. His eyes gleamed with the possibilities. "People would pay _big_ for that lost technology." His hands rubbed together. "We'll make a _fortune_."

"What's standing in our way? Two guys, a woman and a kid?" Will laughed, banging a fist on the counter. "We do this right and we'll own this town!"

"Forget the town, we'll rule the _planet_!" The grin left Talbert's face then he swore loudly. "Shit. I forgot about that asshole in the red coat! He's probably still with them, the nosy bastard."

Wolfwood casually glanced back at them when he heard Talbert mention a man in a red coat. Apparently Vash was no longer in Illinois City, and he'd foiled this guy's attempt to pillage Faye and Spike's ship. He found a smile on his face again.

"We'll get rid of him, too. We'd have to cut someone else it, but we can make it worth our while."

"I know a guy," he said then paused, glancing around to see if anyone was listening in. "Silas MacGruder. We'll have to give him an equal share, but he has the means to do something about our problem. We can contact him tonight."

"Now you're thinkin'!" Will clapped Talbert on the back. The name Talbert had given failed to register in the young, drunk man's mind. "No one'll miss a couple of guys and a kid, anyway. Consider it population control." He laughed and finished up his last drink. "That works."

Talbert lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't you say they had a woman with'em too?"

"Yeah. I did." His bruised eye twitched as his jaw clenched. "I have plans of my own for that bitch." He looked over to Talbert, a sadistic gleam in his eyes. She'd be sorry that she wasn't more receptive of him when he'd offered to keep her company. "Don't concern yourself with it, all right?"

Talbert shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me what you do with her. I'm only interested in one thing." He grinned at his new business partner. "Lemme introduce you to this friend of mine."

Wolfwood watched the two men, one much more intoxicated than the other, stumble out of the saloon. Their scheme was low enough when they'd planned to just steal the ship. Now these two had graduated to murder and something equally as vile and repulsive. If Vash was still near that ship, he had to know. _Faye_ had to know.

"Going already?" Ali asked as the priest, his cross hefted over his shoulder, headed for the door. She followed him to the end of the counter. "What about your friends? Aren't they coming back? The two women?"

He stopped and looked to her. "When they come back, tell them I'll try to return by tomorrow afternoon."

"Are you leaving town?"

He simply turned and walked out.

-

Jet clicked through the sketchy maps and mission logs Ed had discovered in the computer of the other semi-working spaceship on Gunsmoke. Spike sat beside him, watching. For the last two hours, they'd learned quite a bit about the origins of the people living there. Since their ships had crashed over one hundred and thirty years ago, they'd scratched out a meager existence, establishing towns where - or somewhere near - one of the ships had landed on the surface.

"One computer glitch did all of _this_?" Spike murmured as Jet scrolled through the list of ships that weren't so lucky.

"So it appears." He clicked over to a rough map and pointed to the monitor. "These bigger cities, Vash said we might find material suitable for structural damage repair." He looked to Spike. "But it's going to cost. A lot more than what your priest friend gave you."

Spike bowed his head, laughing a little. "Even halfway across the universe, a thousand years out of our own time, we're just as broke as we always are." He ran the fingers of one hand through his hair before sitting up straight. "We'll do what we do at home, then. Faye and I yanked a couple of the sheets posted outside of the sheriff's office in April City. That should be more than enough."

"Gonna be a tougher job here, Spike," Jet reminded him. "The ISSP or whoever issued the bounty in our own time had plenty of information on the person they were after. We're lucky to get hair color and clothing type from the locals. And _that's_ not even reliable."

"We're in for a learning experience, then."

"If we expect to do this, we'll need someone familiar with the place and its cities." Jet glanced at Spike. "Maybe somebody already acquainted with every possible hiding spot this rock has to offer?"

"You're not seriously suggesting ... _him_, are you?" It was bad enough Vash was onboard the ship, now Jet proposed to make him a business partner? No. Just ... no.

"We don't have a lot of options left." He shut down Ed's computer. "We've only been here half a day and we've made a few enemies. Who knows if that dumbass from this afternoon won't come back again? Or someone _else_, with more of a spine?" He saw the expression on Spike's face. "We can only do so much."

"The man is an idiot, Jet. You want us to rely on him to make the money we need?" He laughed. "The heat's gotten to you."

Jet stood. "You didn't see what happened here this afternoon," he replied, then his face took on a more thoughtful appearance. "He was a different man. The kind of man whose help we could use."

"This is insane. I'll put up with him hanging around for Ed's sake, but I'm not -"

"What's _your_ plan?" Jet sharply interrupted. He waited and when Spike only sat there, he continued. "This isn't _our _world, Spike. We pride ourselves on how damn good we are ... but that's another time, another place." He allowed the words to sink into the younger man's head. "Do you understand?"

Leaning back on the couch, he sighed heavily. "I understand." His denial had taken him so far. Wishful thinking allowed him to stay who he was while trapped on Gunsmoke. Jet had to bring reality into the picture. He hated to admit they needed help, especially with a job they did professionally. "We'll ask him."

"Good."

"I hope he can stay on his feet long enough to do it," Spike grumbled. He lifted his head off of the back of the couch, then looked around the room, searching for something. "Where'd he go, anyway?"

-

Faye tightened the belt on her robe then finished wrapping the towel around her wet hair. After sweating all day, thanks mostly to Spike and his bright idea, it felt good to have a long, cool shower. She checked her reflection in the mirror, poking at the area underneath her eyes with her pinkie finger. Desert air was not good for her skin. She shut off the lights and left the room, headed down the corridor for her quarters.

Humming lightly to herself, she held up a hand before her as she walked, examining her nails. A fresh coat of polish was in order. Decking that creep in the saloon had chipped the paint job. _Bastard_, she thought with a scowl, remembering Will. He was lucky. Had they been back on Mars, he'd have been eating out of a tube for a couple of weeks when she'd finished with him.

Shaking her head, she rounded the next corner. Gasping loudly, she came to a sudden stop when startled by Vash. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "What the hell's wrong with you?" she snapped once she regained her composure. "Lurking around corners and - what are you smiling at!" A hand clutched the top of her robe closed. She'd forgotten she'd left the shower. Her eyes narrowed. The pervert.

"I knew you had to come back this way eventually," he casually replied. He side-stepped, blocking her path when she tried to pass him. "Would you like me to walk with you?"

"No. Get out of my way." She shoved him aside. She only managed two steps before he was in front of her again.

"Maybe I should," he insisted. "You never know what could be around the next corner." He looked up and down the corridor with a narrowed gaze, ready for anything.

Faye stared at him. "I'm finding that out," she muttered. She feigned moving to the left and, when he followed her, she quickly darted by him to the right. Walking fast, she inwardly grinned, satisfied with her crafty trick. One hand loosened the towel on her head and she continued to rub her hair dry. As she came around the next corner, she stopped in her tracks and the towel fell from her hair as her arm dropped.

"Those bandits could come back," Vash told her as he pushed away from the wall he leaned against.

Faye glanced over her shoulder, then looked back to him, stunned. "How did you ... "For being a klutz, he was awfully nimble on his feet.

"You'll need someone to look out for you, my fair Faye." He grasped her empty hand in both of his, placing a soft kiss on her fingers. He smiled up at her. "I will do everything in my power to keep you free from harm."

She yanked her hand out of his grasp then wiped the back of it on her robe. "If I need protection from anything, it's from _you_. Go away!"

"But I can't!" He leaned closer. "You've cast a spell on me with your beauty! Your very presence is intoxicating." His eyes dreamily glazed over. "I'm in love with you. If only you'd let me show you how happy I could make you."

After a moment of staring at him, unsure of whether he mocked her or truly did not get the message, she asked, "Are you _learning_ impaired?"

He stood straight, an earnest expression on his face as he mulled it over. "I don't _think_ so."

"Then learn this: Leave. Me. _ALONE_."

In a swift motion, Vash wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her next to him. "I can't. I _love_ you!"

"_Stop saying that_!"

"It's the truth. What can I do to make you believe me?"

She ceased her struggling. The man had the most pathetic look of desperation on his face. _Maybe I'm going about this all wrong ... _she thought. _I should make this work **for** me. _Slinging the damp towel around his neck, her lips curled into a smile. "What can you do to make me believe you?" She pretended to give the matter some thought then replied, "I have one idea."

"What is it?"

Her manner became coy as she played with the ends of the towel. "If you really wanted to prove it, you'd do this." She looked at him through her lashes. "Let me turn you in, so I can collect that sixty billion double dollar bounty of yours. Yes. If you did that, I'd know you were sincere."

"I can't do that."

She frowned, her seductive air vanishing in an instant. "Why not?"

His eyes glistened as they filled with tears. "I'd never see you again!" he wailed then buried his face into Faye's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

She rolled her eyes. _That's the whole point, you idiot! I kill two birds with one stone: get my money and **get rid of you**._

"Vashy!" Ed's voice called out from the other end of the corridor. She waved when Vash turned away from Faye, any sign that he'd been crying, gone. "Hey, Faye-Faye! Someone's here to see you, Vashy-Vash."

"Me?" he said, surprised. No one knew he was out there.

"Uh huh. Some man. Dressed weird. Has a big cross with him." She sighed. "No food, though."

"Wolfwood." Faye averted her gaze when Ed and Vash looked at her.

-

"There he is!" Ed pointed as the three of them stopped at the top of the **Bebop**'s ramp.

Faye peered around the corner. And there he was. An arm was propped on one side of the cross, using it to lean against as he spoke to Jet and Spike. Her gaze slowly traveled away from them then down to Ed, who grinned up at her. "What?" she snapped.

She locked her hands behind the back of her head, whistling a tune as she high-stepped her way down the ramp to join the others.

Faye narrowed her eyes at Ed then noticed Wolfwood looking at her. She ducked back around the corner, pressing herself against the wall.

"You stay here," Vash said as he smiled broadly at Faye. "I'll be right back!" He rushed down the ramp, catching up to Ed. "Well, if it isn't the traveling priest!" he greeted Wolfwood. "How'd you find us all the way out here?" He'd heard about what happened in April City and how Wolfwood rendered his assistance to Spike and Faye.

"A higher power," he answered, nodding to the cross with him. Actually, all the tracks Bob Talbert and his group of raiders left behind were more than sufficient in leading him to the **Bebop**. It was a long damn trek, especially on such a dark night.

Spike couldn't help but shake his head. How a clumsy dork like Vash could hang around a guy like Wolfwood and not end up dead, it was a mystery.

"Now that you're here, you can give us a hand. Mr. Black and his friends need money, to help in the repairs to their ship."

"Yep, yep!" Ed nodded.

Spike looked down at her. The eavesdropper, he thought. At least it saved him the trouble of swallowing his pride to ask Vash for his help.

"I'm afraid you have bigger problems on your hands," Wolfwood replied as he flicked away the still burning cigarette butt, exhaling the last of the smoke. "Could we go inside? The walk between here and April City isn't exactly what I'd call short."

-

"He _what_?"

"He left," Ali replied.

Meryl gritted her teeth together as she balled her hands into fists. She'd come back to the saloon to continue her chat with Wolfwood. However, when she arrived, she discovered he was gone. Now, this woman said he'd be back the next day. "When did he leave?" she asked when she'd calmed herself enough to form words.

"Maybe an hour or two ago?" She shrugged. "I didn't keep track of the time."

"He didn't give you any idea of where he was going?"

"No, ma'am. He just left."

Her teeth clenched even tighter. First the silent treatment from Vash and now Wolfwood had ditched her. "Thanks," she mumbled then turned to leave.

"Excuse me!"

She pivoted on her heel, eyes narrowing at Ali. "What?"

"You still owe for your tab."

Meryl's face dropped in shock. "_He stuck me with the tab, too_?"

Ali shrugged again, smiling uneasily.

_I'm going to kill him. I swear, I'm going to **KILL** him._

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)" by AC/DC


	9. My Perspective Fades

Chapter 9: "My Perspective Fades" 

-

Jet leaned against the metal railing of the stairs as he took in what Wolfwood had told them. He should've known that jackass with the rifle wouldn't leave well enough alone. Now, he had another jackass conspiring with him. People hadn't changed a bit in a thousand years. There were two constants in the universe - change and people were selfish and evil.

"I hate to be the one bringing you news like this ..." Wolfwood trailed off as he looked from Jet to Spike, who lounged on the couch across from him. "I wouldn't have bothered with it if they hadn't mentioned a third party. These two barely have enough brain cells between them to find their own asses. It's Silas MacGruder I'm concerned about."

Spike scoffed. "This is the last thing we need," he murmured, staring at the burning cigarette dangling between two fingers. "Silas MacGruder? I recognize that name." He took a drag off his cigarette then nodded. "One of the bounties Faye and I pulled off the sheriff's office. Murder seems to be his favorite pasttime." He wondered how Bob Talbert knew him, but that didn't really matter. "These idiots apparently have a death wish."

"Death wish?" Vash had remained silent until then. His expression reflected the uneasiness he felt that someone could possibly die over this.

"We're not letting them take our ship," Spike replied. "I don't want to live on this planet but I'm sure as hell not dying here." He glanced at Jet, who nodded in agreement. "Let them come. They'll regret ever seeing this ship when it's over."

"Your plan is to do what? Kill them, and whoever is with them?" Vash shifted his gaze between Spike and Jet. "Is that it?"

"Only fair. They wouldn't hesitate to do the same to us." Spike leaned forward, snuffing out his cigarette.

"You have other options."

"Like_ what_?"

"Try talking to them."

"You were there this afternoon, Vash," Jet spoke up. "These guys aren't into chatting."

"They also left, without anyone getting hurt."

He laughed. "One man alone knows his limits. With others, those limitations aren't so restrictive."

Vash turned to Wolfwood for support. The priest avoided eye contact with him, though. "You know there are other ways to resolve this," he said. "You've seen it happen. People _can_ be reasoned with."

"Not these people," Wolfwood quietly said. He looked to Jet and Spike. "I'm afraid I left something out."

Spike rested his elbows on his knees, his attention on Wolfwood. "How could this possibly get any worse?"

"They _do_ plan to kill you. _All _of you." He looked at Vash when he said the last part. He hated that expression on the outlaw's face, as though he were let down. "What's more ..." he continued, sliding his gaze back to Spike. "... is that our friend from the saloon has ideas of his own for what they should do with Faye. His ego took a bigger hit than his eye and he wants to ease the sting." He left the conclusion up to them. He didn't have to say it, it was self-explanatory.

"Christ," sighed Jet. He glanced at Wolfwood. "Sorry," he quickly apologized before turning to Vash. "Do you_ still _believe we can reason with these people?"

"Do _you_ still believe that killing them is your only solution?"

"They won't bother us again. A pretty permanent solution, if you ask me."

Vash sadly shook his head. It pained him to hear those words from Jet Black, a man he'd come to respect in such a short time. "I won't be party to anyone's murder. Not even theirs."

Spike laughed humorlessly. "I can't fucking believe this," he snorted, kicking up his feet on the table. "The guy wanted by the authorities is a pacifist and the goddamn priest is the only one on our side." He threw a glance of his own at Wolfwood. "Sorry."

"They may be right, Vash," Wolfwood reluctantly admitted as Vash looked to him for his opinion. "One of them already tried to kill two people. Now they're enlisting the help of a known murderer. They won't walk away from the fight next time." He watched as the hope drained from Vash's eyes. "I'm sorry, friend. I've done it your way before but I can't now. Not on this one."

Slowly, Vash rose to his feet. "You do what you feel you have to ... and I'll do what I have to." He turned to leave, freezing when Wolfwood spoke.

"You can keep playing by your rules, knowing what they'll do to Faye? Knowing they'll put a bullet in that little girl you're so fond of?"

Vash turned his head, looking over his shoulder at them. "No one has the right to take the life of another. No reason is good enough to snuff out the divine spark of a human being, not even those." He bowed his head, closing his eyes half-way as he left the room. He thought Wolfwood had learned a better path. Apparently, he was sorely mistaken.

Faye leaned against the wall as Vash approached the corridor she hid in the shadows of. As usual, she'd eavesdropped on the entire conversation. Her stomach lurched when Wolfwood revealed what Will had planned for her, but not as much as it did when she heard what they had in store for the others. The only bright spot was that Wolfwood had taken Spike and Jet's side.

Vash entered the corridor and stopped in front of her. His eyes opened fully as he slid his gaze over to her. The bumbling idiot of a man she'd fought off all evening was gone. The intensity of the sadness contained within his eyes burrowed into her. The mere idea that Spike, Jet and Wolfwood intended to kill these sons of bitches truly _agonized_ him.

"You shouldn't have heard that," he softly said.

"I'm part of this crew, too, I can listen to whatever I want," she snapped. Her anger surged when he looked down at the floor. "Why are you defending them! How can you stand there and say things like that when you know what they're capable of?"

"I told you that I would protect you, Faye."

She grabbed him by the coat with one hand. "I can take care of myself," she hissed, giving him a good shake. "They are going to _kill_ Ed. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Don't you _care_ about her?"

His head lifted and that disarming gaze of his met Faye's again. "Yes, I do. And that's why I said those things." He placed a hand on hers, gently unclamped it from his coat, yet kept it clasped in his. "She deserves a world without murder and hatred. If I can give her that, then that's what I'll do. I won't help them take the lives of others. No matter who they are or what harm they intend to inflict."

She pulled her hand away from his. "She can't live in a fairy tale world, Vash, because that's what you're describing. A story book place, where happy endings are found. _This_ is the world we're in." She gestured to the ship. "I'm sure she'd like to keep _living_ in it." Her eyes narrowed at him when he still showed no emotion. "She can't play with you if she's _dead_."

For a long, silent moment, he gazed upon her. "It's a shame to hear such a pessimistic view come from such a beautiful woman." He gingerly brushed a loose lock of hair away from her face, gave her one last look then continued on his way.

Folding her arms across her chest, she watched Vash disappear into the darkness of the corridor ahead of him. "It's called '_reality_'," she muttered.

In the room, Spike laid back on the couch. "Your outlaw friend has some strange ideas," he said, glancing at Wolfwood.

"Yes, he does." Vash's stances of non-violence wouldn't work against a man like Silas MacGruder. MacGruder was not like any foe the 'Humanoid Typhoon' had brushed up against thus far. Wolfwood had heard enough stories about MacGruder during his short time in April City. This wasn't someone who would be taken down by a well-laid plan, only by a bullet between the eyes.

Spike opened his eyes when he heard Jet walk by him. The man left the room and headed down the corridor that led back to his own quarters. Shaking his head slightly, Spike let his eyes close once more. "I think he's having an effect on Jet, too," he murmured.

"Tends to happen." Wolfwood noticed Faye, standing half-behind a corner, peering into the room. When she saw him looking straight at her, Faye turned and quickly vanished down the corridor.

-

On the outskirts of April City, in a part of town that few people dared to venture into, two men - one less confident than the other - did just that. Bob Talbert spent more time here than Will Harman, and he knew the type of people who called the place home. This was where they would find their prospective partner - Silas MacGruder.

"You keep your mouth shut an' let me do the talking, all right?" Talbert said in a low voice as they stopped on the doorstep of a beaten down building at the end of the street. "There's reasons nobody in this town, not even the sheriff, chases this guy's bounty. They're all buried in his backyard. Got it?"

Will swallowed hard, nodding. He may've been somewhat drunk but he wasn't stupid. Though the one million double dollar bounty on Silas MacGruder's head would've been nice to have, he enjoyed having his life much more. Besides, one million was nothing compared to what they'd get for a working spaceship.

Talbert rapped on the door, waited then banged harder. "Hey! Cousin Silas? You home?" he called, leaning towards the door, listening for footsteps.

"_Cousin_?" Will repeated, his eyes going wide in surprise. He wasn't Bob Talbert's best friend, but he thought he knew the man well. Apparently not. Talbert did a damn good job at keeping this a secret.

The door opened and both men found themselves staring down the barrel of a large silver-plated gun. At the other end was Silas MacGruder. MacGruder wasn't the kind of man most would be dumb enough to cross. He towered over Talbert and Will by a good foot and a half. His build was most impressive, and the absolute absence of emotion in his dark eyes was enough to unsettle even Talbert. From almost head to toe, MacGruder was covered in a black body armor that neither man was familiar with. Several weapons and ammo belts were strapped to him, criss-crossing his chest, and a cold scowl on his face.

"What're _you_ doin' here?" MacGruder demanded, his gun now trained on Talbert. "You get so goddamn desperate for money you figured you'd cash in on my bounty ... _Cousin_?"

Talbert laughed nervously as he threw up his hands. "What? No! I wouldn't _dream_ of turnin' you in. What do you take me for?"

"A lousy, no-good son of a bitch who'd sell out his own mother for a few bucks," MacGruder replied.

"You aren't gonna hold that against me for the rest of my life, are you, Sy? C'mon!"

"Aunt Ruthie was the only family I ever liked, you lowlife sleazebag."

Talbert shrugged. "She understands. I see her every once in a while. She asks about you, too."

Will glanced between Talbert and MacGruder, disbelief plastered on his face. All that time, Will thought Talbert was full of shit, talking about what he could do if he only had the chance. With family like this, he obviously _could_ do it. And then some.

"What do you want from me, Bobby? I swear, if it ain't worth my while ..." He pulled back the hammer on his gun.

"A working _spaceship_ isn't worth your time, Sy?"

MacGruder scoffed. "Bullshit."

"Oh, it's not!" Will quickly piped up. "He's seen it!" He stepped back when MacGruder's gun shifted to him. He put up his hands, glancing from the barrel of the gun to the man's face.

"Who the hell is this?"

"Will Harman, a business associate," Talbert answered. "We have a business proposition for you, Sy." He paused, waiting for MacGruder's reaction. "If you're not interested in makin' a lot of money real easy ... then I suppose we'll go." He turned to leave but MacGruder seized him by the coat.

"Tell me about this so-called spaceship." He turned Talbert around, shoving the gun barrel half an inch away from the other man's nose. "If I don't like what you've said when you're finished, I'll blow your goddamn head off."

Talbert smiled. "You'll like what I have to say, Cousin. I guarantee it."

-

Vash came to a stop when he found Ed, along with Ein, curled up in one of the many corridors of the **Bebop**, sleeping. She had one arm slung around the dog and used her other for a pillow. Ein's eyes opened when he smelled a familiar scent, then he wagged his tail as he stared up at Vash. Ed, though, remained in a peaceful slumber, snoring softly.

'Don't you _care_ about her?' Faye's voice echoed in Vash's mind.

Ein's tail stopped wagging, his head cocked to one side when Vash only gazed upon them.

Slowly, the man crouched down next to the dog and the girl, his left hand extending to scratch Ein behind his ears. The dog licked his hand when he pulled it back. He cared very much for Ed. Children had something most adults lost in their teenage years - an innocent sense of wonder, imagination and hope. People shouldn't have to sacrifice that later in life in order to survive in the world.

Placing a hand on Ed's shoulder, he gently shook her. "Wake up," he whispered. "Ed ... wake up." He let go when she opened her eyes. "We have to leave."

Yawning, Ed sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Leave? Where Vashy wanna go this late? Ed is tired." She gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Come on." He stood up, extending his hand to her.

Ed accepted his hand and pulled herself to her feet. "Where are you taking Ed?"

"Somewhere that you'll be safe."

"The **Bebop** isn't safe anymore?"

"No, it's not."

"Oh. Can Ein come, too?" She pointed to the dog who looked from one human to the other.

Vash managed a faint smile. "Yes, he can come, too." He picked her up, holding her in one arm as she wrapped her own arms around his neck.

"Will we be able to play at this new place?" she asked as Vash carried her down the corridor with Ein trotting along beside them.

"Not tonight."

She frowned. "All right." She eyed him for a few moments then asked, "Are you _sure _nothing's wrong?" When he didn't answer, she frowned again and wondered why he acted so strangely.

More To Come ... Song Title Used: "My Perspective Fades" by The Headstones


	10. Sympathetic Character

Chapter 10: "Sympathetic Character" 

-

The tape rewound, then played. A younger version of Faye Valentine gazed back from the screen. The girl who cheered and waved her pom poms was someone she wanted to remember. A child full of hope and optimism for the future ahead of her. What was it like to feel that way? She'd watched the tape since her encounter with Vash and, as usual, she couldn't recall, no matter how hard she tried.

Frustrated, she shut it off and tossed the remote onto the bed. Memories stolen by a half a century of cold sleep wouldn't change anything. They wouldn't get her off this planet or back to her own time or ...

_Why am I letting what that ... that **moron** said bug me?_ she wondered, lying back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. _What does he know about me? I have every right to be bitter._

She closed her eyes, replaying the images from the tape in her mind. She wanted to remember that person. In the three years since she'd been revived, Faye had learned little about herself; only that she was from Earth, her family was killed when the hyperspace gate malfunctioned and she was alone.

A creaking noise in the corridor outside of her quarters made her eyes fly open. She rolled over onto her stomach, glaring at her door before she called out, "Who's there?"

"It's me."

Her eyebrows arched when she heard Wolfwood's voice reply. She was certain it would've been Vash, come to convince her that he was right and they were wrong. "What is it?" she asked as she moved into a sitting position.

"You were listening in on us earlier."

She rose to her feet and approached the closed door. "So?"

"Are you all right?"

Her hand hesitated before she pulled the door open. She peered through the crack at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. Is that it?"

"I thought you might want to talk to someone," he replied with a shrug. "But I've forgotten. You're Faye Valentine, and you don't need anyone's help." He held up his hands as he backed away from her door. "I'm sorry I intruded."

She flung the door open all of the way. "I don't need sarcasm right now, okay, priest?" she snarled. "If I wanted that, I'd find Spike!"

"He's asleep, anyway."

Growling, she threw her door shut. She was startled when his hand stopped it then pushed it back open. "Why don't you leave me alone?" she grumbled as she sat down on her bed. "I don't need your pity or your help. Go talk to that idiot friend of yours. He's the one who needs help."

"He wouldn't want to talk to me even if I could find him. Your ship is a maze. It took me twenty minutes just to find you."

"Sorry you wasted your time."

"I didn't waste my time." He leaned into her room. "Do you mind if I come in?"

She shrugged then gestured in front of her. "Make yourself at home." She watched him step inside, pulling the door shut behind him, then sit down on the opposite end of her bed. "Happy now?"

He glanced at her but didn't answer.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, she sighed loudly. "Are you going to sit there all night? I planned to sleep eventually."

"Did you?"

"Yes." She waved a hand at him. "Gonna be difficult, with you taking up my space."

"What did he say to you?"

"Huh?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Vash. In the corridor. What'd he say that pissed you off?"

She looked away. "It doesn't matter. What does_ he_ know about anything?"

"Quite a bit." Off of her surprised reaction, he added, "It doesn't seem like it at first ... but he does."

"You can still say that, even after his idea about how to handle our problem?"

"Yes, I can. Maybe his way isn't right for this situation but I've seen it work in the past. A few of them, I'm still surprised about." He sat up and leaned towards her. "I want to know what he said to you, though."

"He has it in his head the world can be a place free of violence and hatred." She shook her head. "It's _never_ going to be that way. When I told him so, he said ..." Her eyes closed tightly and flashes of that little girl, the one she tried so desperately to remember, went through her mind. "I'm not a child." Opening her eyes, she looked at Wolfwood. "That's not what he said ... but it's what he expects me to be. So I can believe in the goodness of the world."

"You don't have to be a child to believe that." It was his turn to become solemn. "Not _every _child has the opportunity to have that one comfort. Some never even learn about it until later in life. Much later."

"You're not buying his crap, are you? I had you figured to be smarter than that." She laughed. "Then again, you _are _the priest here. Why shouldn't you want to believe in the goodness of people?"

"I didn't always." For the most part, he still didn't. He wasn't about to tell her that, though. And don't assume that a priest isn't without his sins. I have more than enough." He paused. "Maybe too many to ever be forgiven."

She gazed at him for a few seconds. "Who _are_ you? Don't give me any cryptic answers. Who the hell _are _you?"

He bowed his head, unable to look her in the eye. "I'm trying to forget who I used to be. It isn't easy. I'm not really sure who I am right now."

She sighed, shaking her head. "It's like trying to carry on a conversation with _him_!" She tossed up her hands, exasperated. "He can't answer a simple question, either. It's something that makes sense to him and only him. What is it with you guys! Are you _trying _to drive me nuts!" Tucking her legs closer to her on the bed, she turned away from him. "Keep your damn secrets, the both of you. I don't care."

"How long have you been in love with him?" Wolfwood quietly asked after short silence.

Her eyes opened and her head lifted. "What makes you think _that_? Why _would_ I be? You don't know him, not like I do. He's not the kind you fall in love with. There's no point."

"That may be, but you have. How long?"

"Mind your own business," she snapped. "I told you, I'm not above knocking out a priest. Especially _you_, now that you've pissed me off." A hand wiped away a stray tear from her cheek.

"I feel sorry for him," he murmured from behind her.

"Really?" She forced a laugh. "Why would you feel sorry for _him_?" _And not for me?_

"It's obvious that when he looks at you he doesn't see what I do."

She peered over her shoulder at him. He wasn't laughing, he wasn't even smiling. "What do _you_ see?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Someone who_ isn't_ the cold bitch she pretends so hard to be."

She turned around to face him. "How would _you_ know who I am?"

A hand extended towards her, his fingers gently caressed her cheek and he showed her the moisture of the new tears she'd failed to notice. "Someone who cares about nothing wouldn't shed any tears. There's no reason for them to. Believe me. I know. I know better than you could possibly imagine."

"What is it that you care about now?" She found her muscles tensing as he moved closer to her.

"Let me show you one thing," he softly replied. One hand slipped to the back of her neck then, when she understood what he intended to do and showed no resistance, drew her closer until her lips met his.

Once it registered with her that this was real and not a dream, Faye allowed her eyes to close. The tension in her body melted away next. Any worries about Will Harman and what would happen in the future vanished from her mind. Her hands slipped over his shoulders. Priest or not, she didn't care. This was the safest she'd felt since they'd arrived in this godforsaken hell someone dared to call a planet.

_This isn't right_, one last rational thought popped into her head. _What does it matter? Not a damn thing. _Instead of pushing him away, like she should have, she pulled him down onto the bed with her. _Not a damn thing, at all._

-

The knock on the door roused Meryl from her sleep. Her eyes opened and she wondered what Milly could possibly need at this hour. Her gaze shifted to her open window. The sky grew lighter in the east. Morning would be upon them soon.

"All right!" she grumbled as the thumping on her door resumed. "I'm _coming_!" She pulled on her robe and tiredly shuffled to her door then yanked it open. "D'you have any idea what time - "Her words cut off suddenly when she found out who was on the other side. "V-Vash? What ... what are you doing here?"

Cradling a sleeping Ed in his arms, Vash looked upon Meryl, no change in his stoic expression. "I need your help," he evenly said. "Can I come in?"

After a moment of being dumbfounded by Vash's sudden appearance at her door, she stepped back. "Y-yes ... come in." She looked down as Ein trotted into the room right behind Vash. "What's happening?" she asked as she closed her door.

Carefully, he laid Ed into Meryl's bed then tucked the blankets around her. Ein hopped onto the bed and curled up beside Ed, grateful to finally have the chance to rest. Meryl came around to the other side of the bed, watching Vash as he gently brushed the hair away from the girl's forehead.

"Vash?"

"Could you watch her for me?" he said, looking to Meryl.

"Of course," she answered with a nod. "But who is she? Why aren't you in Illinois City? What's - "She stopped talking when Vash placed a hand to her lips. She pressed them together after he withdrew his hand, more confused at his behavior than ever. First, he didn't care about anything, now he brought her a strange child to watch over? He was a continuous mystery.

"She's from that ship, the one we saw yesterday," he replied. He gestured for her to follow him and once they were a decent distance away from Ed, he continued. "After you left me in Illinois City, I realized that I couldn't run from it forever. From the past ... the pain." He looked over to Ed and Ein. "I went out there. Some of the locals, they wanted to kill them and steal their ship." His gaze shifted back to Meryl. "I couldn't let that happen."

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. Though she appeared calm on the outside, on the inside she was overjoyed. He _did_ still care. For a moment, she considered throwing her arms around him. Just for a moment, though. If she did do such a thing, it would've been _highly_ unprofessional. "What's going on?"

"The man who threatened them, he's coming back. He's bringing someone else with him ... "

"How do you know that?"

"Wolfwood. He came to the ship and told me."

Meryl's gaze dropped to the floor and she felt guilty for being angry with the priest for ditching her. If only he'd have told the damn woman at the saloon! Her eyes traveled over to the girl asleep in her bed. "What do you two plan to do about it?"

"He's not helping me. I'm alone on this one." Before Meryl could ask, he answered, "He doesn't believe this can be handled in a peaceful manner. He ... he wants to kill them - like Mr. Black and Mr. Spiegel do." His head bowed, the disappointment in their decision obvious to Meryl. "I tried to reason with them."

She nodded. "I know you did."

"They wouldn't listen. This makes my job more difficult."

"Let me help you." Instinctively, one of her hands grasped one of his, holding onto it tightly. "You aren't alone. _I'm _here."

He looked from her hand clutching his then back to the woman's face. In that moment, she reminded him so much of _her_ ... of Rem. That aura of selflessness resonated from Meryl Stryfe in a way he'd never seen before. "Take care of Ed," he softly replied.

"What about you? You shouldn't try to handle this by yourself. Milly and I ... we could help! Somehow." She didn't know what to suggest because she had no idea of what he planned to do.

With a faint smile, his hand slipped from Meryl's as he went to check on Ed one more time.

Ed's eyes opened when Vash sat down on the bed beside her. "Where are we?" she sleepily asked. She remembered part of the trip. She'd fallen asleep about a half an hour after leaving the **Bebop**. Now, she was in a strange room, tucked into a strange bed.

"My friend, Meryl, she's going to watch you for a while."

Ed yawned. "You're going to stop the bad guys?"

"Yes, I am."

"You're coming back?"

"When it's over."

She nodded. "Ed and Vashy can play some more games then." She patted Ein on the head when he barked softly. "Ein, too."

"We will." He stood, tucking the blankets around her a little more snugly. "Go back to sleep."

"All right." The words barely left her lips before she was fast asleep once again. Ein curled up beside her, resting his head on his front paws.

On his way out, Vash stopped by Meryl. "Thank you."

She nodded. She wanted to say something, yet nothing would come to mind. Nothing appropriate, that is. Instead, she silently watched him leave her room, closing the door behind him. She sighed, her attention shifting back to the girl and the dog in her bed.

'Things always turn out for the best whenever he's around!' she recalled Milly saying.

She hoped that held true today more than ever.

More to Come ...

Song Title Used: "Sympathetic Character" by Alanis Morissette


	11. Complicated

Chapter 11: "Complicated" 

-

Spike's eyes opened. He lay on his right side, his back to the rest of the room, gaze steady on the couch in front of him. He wasn't alone. By the smell of cigarette smoke mixed with what only a starving man would call 'food', he knew Jet was with him. "What time is it?" he asked, not moving from his position.

"It's light outside. Early morning." Jet replied. "Vash is gone."

Spike rolled onto his back, looking to Jet sitting across from him. "He is?" Part of him was relieved. It made defending the ship and themselves easier. "Any idea where he went?"

Jet shrugged as he took a drag off his cigarette. "Don't know. Wherever he went, he must've taken Ed and Ein with him. They're gone, too." He shoved the extra plate across the table to Spike. "It's not much."

"You look tired," he commented as he sat up straight in order to eat.

"I was up most of the night."

"Why? Another problem with the ship?" he asked between bites.

He shook his head, tapped the ashes off the end of the cigarette then took another thoughtful drag. "I had a lot on my mind."

Spike's fork stopped midway as he stared at Jet. "Don't tell me _you're_ having second thoughts about - "

Jet waved a hand, cutting him off. "No. I had a lot on my mind, Spike."

Actually, he had struggled with the moral implications of it. A mental quandry hadn't affected Jet to this degree in years, not since his early days as an officer for the ISSP. Even so, Vash's words haunted him. No one had the right to take the life of another. For any reason. The concept sounded naive, but after mulling it over, Jet didn't think it was. Impractical, yes. Naive, no. Avoiding killing another person was always foremost in his mind, yet some people simply left him with no choice: Kill or be killed.

A hand waved in front of Jet's face and he snapped out of his daze. He saw Spike staring at him, curious. "What?"

"You didn't hear one word I said, did you?"

"Sure, I did," he replied, a bit defensive.

"So ... what did I say?"

Jet hesitated before he leaned forward to snuff out his cigarette. "It must not've been that important. I've already forgotten."

"I asked if you've seen Wolfwood." Spike sat back on the couch after he pushed away the empty plate.

"He's here," he said. He glanced up at Spike, who waited for more of an answer than that.

"Where is he?"

"With Faye." He avoided eye contact with the younger man. "Where he's been all night." He dared to look up at him. As he expected, the disbelief was firmly etched onto Spike's features.

"Are you sure that's -"

Jet nodded. "He asked me where to find her quarters. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh ... "Spike couldn't find the words. He knew they'd gotten along well enough but not _that _well. His mouth opened, still he couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he let it go. The last day had been that kind of crazy. Who knew what the hell else would happen as the new one progressed?

-

Faye's eyes fluttered open as one hand swept over the small space next to her on her bed. When she realized no one was there, she sat up, holding the sheet around her. He was gone. Her disappointment quickly faded into anger. So, that's what that bullshit was about the night before. Just a way to get her to sleep with him. That was low, even for a priest.

Her head turned when she heard the click of a lighter being opened. She noticed her door was ajar and that the sound came from the corridor. _This is all I need ..._ she thought as she wrapped the sheet around herself as she stood. _For Spike to come here and laugh at me. I'm sure his best buddy told him all about last night._

Her anger turned into surprise when she found Wolfwood in the corridor, not Spike. He sat on the floor, back against the wall, smoking a cigarette staring at the closed door across from him.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No." She brushed the unruly hair away from her face. "Actually, I thought you'd just left me. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened." She watched him smoke his cigarette. "Could I get one of those?"

He reached into his open jacket, pulled out the pack and handed it, along with the lighter, up to her. Once she was set, she returned them. For the next minute or so, the silence between them continued. Faye glanced at Wolfwood, occasionally, wondering what was going on in his head.

He took one last drag off his cigarette before saying, "I don't want to sound like the asshole here, but last night ... it shouldn't have happened." He snuffed out the cigarette on the floor beside him. "It wasn't my intention when I showed up at your door, Faye. I thought you should know that."

She stared at the burning cigarette loosely hanging between two of her fingers. He felt awkward about it, too? That was comforting, in its own way. "You're right. You shouldn't feel guilty about it. I don't."

"I didn't want you to think I took advantage of you."

"Maybe_ I _took advantage of _you_?" She smiled slightly when he looked up at her. "I didn't have to let you in, you know." She turned and went back into her quarters so she could get dressed. "Don't beat yourself up," she called out as she slipped on her shirt. "It just ... happened." She tossed the sheet back onto the bed once she was dressed. "I don't expect anything from you." She reappeared in the doorway. "Not even if I'm stuck here forever."

"Just go right on with your life, huh?"

She nodded. "Right."

"And what about _him_?"

She dropped the cigarette butt then stomped it out with her boot. "There's no point. I've gotten used to it. So stop screwing up a decent conversation by bringing him into it."

"Sorry."

"You two plan on joining us sometime today?"

Faye's heart jumped into her throat when she heard Spike's voice. She and Wolfwood looked to the opposite end of the corridor to find Spike, hands stuffed into his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth, staring back at them. She wondered how long he'd been standing there. How much of their conversation had he heard? Her face flushed.

"_Well_?" Spike prompted.

"Faye?"

She lifted her head and Wolfwood nodded for her to come with him. Closing the door to her quarters, she did just that. As she neared Spike, Faye noticed a smirk on his face. Once she was in front of him, she stopped and backed him up against the wall. Her eyes narrowed at him as the surprised man looked down on her.

"You even _think _about saying anything, I'll _shoot_ you," she angrily hissed. She shoved a fist in front of his face. "Do you understand me?"

"Say anything about what?"

She glared at him for a few seconds then let her arm drop to her side. He knew damn well what she meant. That sadistic glimmer in his eyes, the one thing he couldn't control, gave him away. "Not one word, Spike," she warned before she rounded the corner.

As soon as she was gone, Spike grinned deviously. If she thought he wouldn't give her shit about _this_ development, she still suffered from that bump to her head.

-

"Are you sure this thing works?" Will asked, leaning over to Talbert.

"Silas is a whiz at building shit. Always has been," Talbert assured him. "Makes everything from weapons to stuff like that." He patted the large vehicle before them and grinned. "Ain't nothin' like it on the planet."

Will shook his head as he looked over the machine Silas MacGruder had parked in a smaller building behind the one he'd made his home. Completely metal, the machine was about eight feet tall and twelve feet long. Atop it was a turret which sported not only a high caliber gun, but a sizeable cannon that fired the largest shells he'd ever laid eyes on. The vehicle didn't travel on regular tires, either. This used metal belts, wrapped around metal gears, as wheels. No gun could render it immobile. Whatever this thing was, he knew that Silas MacGruder was too creative for his own damn good.

The hatch on the turret opened and MacGruder climbed out of the vehicle. "Everything's set inside." He hopped off and landed on the ground in front of Talbert. "If you're still willing to go through with this." He smirked at his young cousin.

"Don't worry about me."

"You better not try to screw me out of my share, Bobby," MacGruder warned as he rounded the machine to inspect the other side. "I don't bring this out for just anything. It's for special occasions. This being one of them."

"You've made some alterations since I saw it last," Talbert commented as he climbed up to the turret. He leaned over, took a look inside then laughed. "Goddamn. Aunt Sarah was right when she called you a 'genius', Sy. There's no stopping this."

"Or _this_," MacGruder added tossing up a black vest to Talbert. He smiled as he watched the other man look it over. "You like that?"

"What is it?" Talbert tried to bend it but it refused to yield.

"Something I cooked up one night. Tested out every gun imaginable on it. No bullet has penetrated it yet." He grinned when Talbert looked down at him, wide-eyed. "That's no shit, cousin. I have a whole suit of it myself. Bulky as hell but I've gotten used to it." He glanced at Will. "Only have the two, so your associate'll have to go without. Sorry, pal." He chuckled.

Will turned his attention back to the vehicle as Talbert slipped on the vest MacGruder had given him. "How fast can this thing go?" he asked. His hand raised to touch the barrel of the cannon hovering above his head.

"She's fast enough." MacGruder slapped Will's hand back. "She'll drive over damn near any terrain. I can carry plenty of extra fuel onboard, so that's not a problem."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, carrying around fuel like that?"

MacGruder pushed Will out of his way. "This associate of yours is gettin' on my nerves, Bobby." He climbed back onto the machine. "We'll be good to go in about ten minutes." He dropped down through the hatch.

Will backpedaled out of the building when MacGruder turned over the engine on the machine. The noise alone would scare the hell out of anyone. He backed away as MacGruder put it in drive and vehicle rolled forward, out of the building and into the morning suns' light.

Talbert grinned at the expression on Will's face. "We're going to be rich, my friend!" he called out over the thundering engine. He slapped a hand on the turret which he sat upon. "RICH!"

For the first time since they'd come to see MacGruder, Will smiled. "We sure the hell are," he agreed.

-

Not far away, sitting on the roof one of the abandoned houses near Silas MacGruder's hideout, Vash watched through the lenses of his sunglasses as MacGruder revealed his secret weapon. He adjusted his sunglasses, his stoic expression never changing, as the three men congratulated each other on a victory they had not yet achieved. Soon, they vanished into the larger building.

His hand dropped away from his glasses. He would have to be _extremely_ creative with this one. He didn't expect them to have an armored vehicle.

-

Spike turned when he heard a clatter, followed by an even louder crash which was accompanied by a string of curse words from Jet. The other man emerged from behind a stack of crates, covered in an off-red colored liquid. Spike took a drag off of the cigarette hanging between his lips, then asked, "What was that about?"

"Goddamn piece of ..." Jet grumbled as he wiped a hand over his head, cleaning off most of the substance. "One of the hydraulics pipes for the bay door busted. Must've been damaged in the crash landing yesterday and chose _now_ to give out." He found a rag and used it to continue wiping the fluid away. "We're not opening that door until it's fixed. This damn ship's falling apart and I don't have what I need to make the repairs. Pretty soon, it'll be worthless."

"We can't get our ships out until then?" Spike flicked the ashes off the end of his cigarette.

"I can open it enough to let ourselves out ... as for the ships." He shook his head.

"Shit." He dropped the cigarette and snuffed it out with his foot.

After some tinkering, Jet opened the bay door enough for them to get out. On top of the ship, they found Faye reclined in a chair, sunglasses on her face, and her gun sitting on the hull beside her. She turned a little, catching sight of Spike and Jet emerging from underneath the barely raised door.

"What happened to you?" she asked, eyeing Jet.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye out for these guys?" Jet scanned the horizon before him before settling his gaze on the lounging woman.

"I am."

"Looks like you're on vacation to me."

Faye lifted her sunglasses and looked over her shoulder at him. "I don't see why I can't make the most of having two suns as well as play look out." She arched an eyebrow. "Aren't _you _supposed to be fixing something?"

Jet narrowed his eyes at her.

Smiling, she let her glasses drop back down on her nose as she faced forward.

"Where's he at?"

"Down there." She lazily gestured to her left.

On the ground below, Wolfwood sat leaned against his cross, which lay propped up on one side, gazing in the direction of April City.

"At least _someone's_ doing his job," Jet murmured as he looked over to Spike.

"I heard that!" Faye called out.

-

For almost an hour, he sat in the blistering suns' light, his attention riveted to the horizon to the east. If they came today, he'd be ready. Despite having three capable gunslingers with him, Wolfwood would've been more comfortable if Vash hadn't have left. What else could the man do? Vash's first priority was to protect the little girl. She didn't need to be there and the kid was better off with Vash, wherever they were.

His head turned slightly when he heard someone approach. "Your friend get that problem fixed?" he asked as Spike came to a stop beside him.

"Something else broke," was the reply. He shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes steady on the landscape stretching out before him. "You sure you wanna be a part of this?" he asked after a short silence. He looked down to the priest. "You shouldn't feel obligated."

"What do you mean by that?" Wolfwood cupped his hands around the end of his cigarette, shielding it from the light breeze blowing as he used his lighter.

Spike averted his gaze when Wolfwood looked to him for an answer.

"If you have something to say, now's the time to say it," he went on, shoving the lighter back into his jacket pocket.

"I just thought ..." Spike's sentence trailed off as he looked over his shoulder to the **Bebop**. They both saw Faye lounging in her chair.

"You thought what?"

"Never mind." His gaze drifted to the ground.

"You don't have a problem with it, do you?" Wolfwood cocked his head to one side when Spike looked at him with surprise.

"A _problem_?" He laughed. "No. It's ... unexpected."

"Don't get the wrong idea. We're not engaged now."

"I didn't think you people _could_ get engaged. Or drink ... or smoke ... " Spike noted how amused Wolfwood was by his comment. "A lot's changed over a millennium." He shrugged. "It's really none of my business."

"Why does this bother you?"

"It doesn't bother me, it's ..." He turned at the waist, looking up at the young woman, who applied more sunscreen to her arms. "_Faye_?"

"Would you rather I'd have slept with _you_?" He laughed when Spike, wide- eyed, looked down at him. Chuckling, he draped his arms over the cross behind him and reclined comfortably.

"You're beginning to remind me of someone," he stiffly said, glaring at Wolfwood.

"Who's that?"

After a pause, he asked, "Do you even have a gun? You won't be any help without one."

"I'm fine."

"So, you _do_?"

Wolfwood's fingers drummed against his cross. "Don't worry about it."

Spike started to say something else but stopped when he noticed the change in the expression on Wolfwood's face. He followed the other man's gaze to the east. That's when he saw the dark blotch on the horizon, growing larger with each passing second.

Wolfwood rose up to his feet. "They're here." He side-glanced at Spike. The man's behavior had completely changed. Whatever problems he had before, they didn't much matter now.

"What the hell is that?" Spike asked as the features of the approaching vehicle became more distinctive. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, it looked as though they had a cannon mounted on the front of the thing.

"Jet!" Faye cried. She leapt from her chair and disappeared underneath the crack of the open bay door. A moment later, both of them reappeared on the ship. "What is that?" she asked as they stared in wonder at the contraption rolling towards them at high speed.

He shook his head. "I have no idea."

-

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne


	12. Blues From A Gun

Chapter 12: "Blues From A Gun" 

-

"What do you say we put a scare into 'em?" MacGruder called out to the two passengers crammed into the metal monster with him. He grinned. "Bobby, take over for me. Maybe they'll get smart an' leave when they realize what I can do."

Talbert slipped into the driver's seat, hands claiming the stick controls of MacGruder's machine. "Which one you gonna use?"

MacGruder leaned over Will and picked up a shell twice as big as a human head. "These." He laughed as he climbed up to the turret, where he worked to load the shell into the forward cannon. "You just keep goin' - I'll take care of this."

Will looked from MacGruder shoving the shell into the cannon to Talbert who concentrated on driving. He'd stepped in over his head on this one. Partnering up with Talbert seemed like a good idea the night before. Not so much now, though.

"I'd cover my ears if I were you," MacGruder said as he leaned down to Will. "This is gonna be pretty damn loud."

-

A large puff of smoke erupted from the cannon of the machine headed towards the **Bebop**. A whistling sound made all four look up to the sky. As the pitch grew higher, they knew whatever it was, was coming down. About 200 yards behind them, the massive shell struck a rock formation, blowing a hole big enough for Spike's Swordfish to fly through in it.

"What the hell is that?" Spike yelled as he and Wolfwood made a run for the ship. It stood to reason they'd be safer closer to the **Bebop**, since it was what these men wanted, after all.

"I don't know, but your average gun isn't going to do it any damage, that's for sure." Wolfwood leaned his cross up against the side of the ship, tensing as the gun fired another round. This time, the shell struck so close, it sent him and Spike diving for cover. "Doesn't this ship have any weapons!"

"No. It never has," Spike answered as he brushed the bits of rock and dust that had rained down on them from his hair and clothes. "It's an old trawler, not a space fighter."

"So you don't have anything bigger than _this_ -"He yanked Spike's gun out from its holster, holding it up between them "- to fire at them?"

Spike hesitated. Then he had an idea. "Don't go anywhere." After grabbing his gun from Wolfwood's hand, he vanished underneath the Bebop.

"I don't know where he thinks I'll _go_ ..." He turned back to the machine. It had stopped it's approach about a thousand yards from the ship, just out of range of his own particular weaponry. He could try. However, the level of accuracy went down considerably at this distance. He decided to keep it in reserve, in case Spike's bright idea didn't pan out.

-

"Jet!" Spike crawled out from underneath the bay door. Jet and Faye stood not too far away, watching as the hatch of the vehicle popped open and two men crawled out. "Jet!" he yelled again, finally getting his attention. "Are you sure we can't manually override this door?"

"Well, it would take some time -"He saw a grin appear on Spike's face and that glint in the younger man's eyes. "No."

"I'd find a safer place to watch the show if I were you." Spike disappeared back into the bay.

"Spike!" Jet ran towards the half-open bay door. Goddamn it, you better not be doing what I think you're doing. If you are, I'll - He skidded to a halt when he heard the Swordfish's engine fire up. "Shit! _SPIKE_!" He turned around. "Faye! Come on!"

-

MacGruder hauled himself out of the vehicle, bringing one of his custom made guns with him. This was his best gun - he'd modified the firing capabilities, rendering it fully automatic. In the time it took for most people to get off one shot, he was able to spray several. "Time to get rid of the vermin infesting our ship, gents," he called down to them.

Talbert, armed with his own guns, climbed out after MacGruder. "They're probably scared shitless after that." He laughed as he hopped onto the ground then clapped MacGruder on the shoulder. "You were right on target!"

Will, breathing hard, popped up from the open hatch. "You're walking the rest of the way? Why not stay in here? They could still kill you!"

MacGruder ran a hand over the body armor. "No bullets are gettin' through this. Stay here and keep an eye on her. Might need her help later ... disposing of the bodies."

"You're leaving me here!" Will yelled as MacGruder and Talbert headed towards the ship. Neither man looked back. "Hey!"

-

Jet banged on the side of the Swordfish with his fist. When Spike looked at him through the window, Jet gestured for him to shut it down. His hand slammed into the ship again after Spike simply shook his head.

Faye grabbed Jet by the back of his shirt, pulling him away from the Swordfish before he ended up getting hurt. It was no use. When Spike made up his mind to do something, nothing could stop him.

Once Faye and Jet were far enough away, Spike's fingers glided over to the buttons that controlled the weapons on his craft. He pushed one and the plasma cannon fired a mild blast into the bay door. The metal bent back just enough to allow the Swordfish to slip through.

Faye uncovered her ears after Spike's ship zoomed out of the bay. She shifted her gaze over to Jet. "And you say that _I _cause the most property damage around here."

-

Below the **Bebop**, Wolfwood smiled for the first time when he saw Spike's ship bank to the right as it sped through the sky. He glanced at his cross, rather let down that he wouldn't be needed.

-

"Jesus," breathed Talbert when he saw a smaller ship, sleek and speedy, headed towards them. He hadn't known about any other vessels besides the one they'd came for. This had caper turned out to be more lucrative than he'd originally thought.

-

Above, Spike's Swordfish banked sharply to the left as he tried to decide which angle to use in blowing that damn metallic menace to hell. A few thunks against the hull of his ship startled him and a glance out of his right side window revealed two of the men - armed to the teeth - firing at him.

"So ... we wanna play this game, huh?" he said then laughed. "Whatever you want." He gave them a round of strafing fire, only meant to be a warning. Maybe these idiots will wise up and go home, he thought. Suddenly, he banged both fists on his main console. "Now _I'm_ starting to think like that _moron_!"

-

Will peered through the slit in the armor of the machine that MacGruder used to see while driving. Another ship, a smaller one, had engaged Talbert and MacGruder about five hundred yards away. The situation had gone from bad to worse._ How'd you get yourself mixed up in this? You drink too much whiskey and you get stupid._

"I thought those two would _never _leave!"

"What the - "Will looked up to see a blonde man, wearing sunglasses and a red coat, peering down at him through the open hatch. "Who the hell are you?" _Wait ... red coat. It's the guy Talbert saw yesterday. _He scrambled for a weapon but it was too late. He was already being yanked out of the vehicle by the stranger.

"I'd have been here sooner but the dust this thing kicks up." Vash shook his head as he clutched tightly to Will's shirt. "It's not easy to hang on underneath there with a bunch of mud in your mouth."

"Who _are_ you?"

"Just a concerned citizen who's trying to keep you alive." He lifted his gaze to the sky when he heard Spike's ship approaching. "And speaking of ... you and I should leave this spot soon."

"Why's that?"

Vash nodded to his left. "The people you're trying to kill? They don't appreciate it."

Will's eyes widened when he saw the Swordfish headed towards them.

A moment later, the ship's cannon fired.

-

Talbert turned when he heard the initial explosion and watched as the indestructible creation of Silas MacGruder's was demolished before them. The second explosion came from within the vehicle itself. The extra ammunition, coupled with all of the reserve fuel on board, made the remnants of the machine fly almost completely apart and in every which direction.

MacGruder covered his head with both hands as flaming bits of metal rained down on him and Talbert. His gaze narrowed as he looked up to the Swordfish, which rolled, banked in the sky then headed back towards them. Raising his weapon, he screamed and depressed the trigger to allow a stream of bullets to fly at the ship.

-

Up in the Swordfish, Spike reached for the controls of his smaller guns. These two didn't want to give up and that left him with only one option. His hands jerked away from the weapons controls and, instead, he banked hard to the right when he saw that familiar red coat appear in his line of fire. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn't see Vash anywhere. If that even was him and not some figment of his imagination.

-

Talbert popped off a few rounds at Vash, who deftly maneuvered his body, dodging them. "That's the son of a bitch I told you about!" he yelled, pointing in the direction in which Vash had mysteriously disappeared. "I'm going to make him sorry he ever screwed with me!"

"We're going to kill them all. Slowly. Painfully." MacGruder slammed a new clip into his main gun, looking back to the burning wreckage of his most prized possession.. "This is personal now."

-

Faye, gun in hand, came up behind Wolfwood, who kept his spot close to the **Bebop**. "You shouldn't be down here without a weapon." She noticed the two figures of MacGruder and Talbert headed their way. Stepping aside, she leveled her gun at them and fired a few rounds. It slowed them, but only for a moment. "I knew I'd end up baby-sitting you," she muttered as she leaned against the ship, slamming a new clip into her gun. She flinched when a few bullets ricocheted off the **Bebop**.

"Hate to break it to you, Faye, but I don't need you to watch over me."

"Oh, sorry!" She fired off a few more rounds, noticing that MacGruder had vanished. Talbert, though, kept right on coming. "I forgot. You have _God_ on your side!"

"That I do." With a sly smile, he unlatched one of the buckles on his cross and, in a flash, all of them, as well as the white cloth, fell away from it. Faye's jaw dropped when the arms of the cross opened to reveal a cache of high caliber hand guns. He pulled one of them out, turned and fired at Talbert, who was almost upon them. Each of the bullets hit their target, center mass.

Talbert gasped, he staggered, he swayed yet he didn't fall down. His hand went to his chest then he looked down at his fingers. The hysterical laughter followed. "It works! Silas!" He waved his bloodless hand over his head as he danced for joy. "We're _invincible_! You goddamn genius, you!"

Wolfwood lifted his gun again, aiming for Talbert's head, when the shock of the man still being alive wore off. He would be a better shot this time. As he was about to pull the trigger, a fist flew out of nowhere, cold clocking Talbert square in the jaw. Talbert spun around twice before he dropped to the ground like a rock, ko'd.

"You should watch your language around a priest," Jet said as he stepped out into the light. He flexed the fingers of his bionic arm, shaking his head as he gazed down at the idiot. "Not as invincible as you thought, huh?"

Faye leaned over to Wolfwood. "Threatening you really _does_ bring bad karma."

"You should keep that in mind."

"I will."

-

Spike jumped out of his Swordfish after he'd landed it not far from the **Bebop**. Drawing his gun, he ran towards the ship. He didn't see Talbert anywhere. Will, who knew where that dumbass was? The last one was Silas MacGruder - the valuable one of the three. He was worth a million double dollars, and they needed that money. Fortunately for the outlaw, the bounty was null and void if MacGruder was dead.

"Hey, asshole!" yelled a voice from behind him. "You lookin' for me?"

Whirling around, Spike raised his gun. He found MacGruder, his weapon in one hand and a smaller device in the other, standing beside his ship. "Do yourself a favor and give up, MacGruder!"

"Nah. Don't want to. You ain't gonna shoot me, either, cowboy, so stop waving that gun around. My bounty's no good if I'm dead."

"You really think I care about your goddamn bounty at this point?" Spike asked with a laugh. He inched forward, never letting MacGruder's face leave his crosshairs. "You tried to kill me. I take that personally."

MacGruder looked up at Spike's ship, tapping it with the device in his left hand. "Nice machine you have here," he commented. "I'm interested in this stuff. Always had a knack for building things. Anything with more than three moving parts, it just came natural." He sighed. "I take real pride in what I've accomplished."

Spike was close enough now to see what MacGruder had in his hand - an explosive charge of some sort. He realized what the man intended to do to his ship.

"My baby - you saw her - was my greatest achievement." He clanked the device against the hull of the Swordfish, activating its magnetic lock. He patted the ship with his hand. "But this beauty ... she was obviously _more_ than a match for her."

Spike cocked his gun. "I won't tell you twice - _get away from my ship_."

MacGruder shook his head. "Such a shame." He backed away from the Swordfish as he retrieved the remote detonator from the vest he wore. "I really would've liked to know her better." He held up the detonator so Spike could see it. "An eye for an eye."

Before he could press the button, a single shot rang out. MacGruder cursed as he drew his left hand towards his body. He looked at Spike. "How did you ..." He glanced at the destroyed remote lying on the ground beside him.

"It wasn't me." Spike nodded to MacGruder's left. "It was him."

MacGruder gritted his teeth when he found Vash pointing that silver-plated gun at him. He'd never even noticed this son of a bitch. How had he snuck up on _him_ like that?

"The next bullet goes in your head, MacGruder," Spike called out when he saw the man glance at the weapon in his right hand. "And that one _will_ come from me."

Behind Spike, Faye, Jet and Wolfwood appeared. They'd finished with Talbert on the other side of the ship when they'd heard Vash's gunshot.

MacGruder threw down his weapon. "Don't think this shit is over, asshole," he growled as Spike approached him.

"Feels over to me." He reached up and dislodged the explosive from his ship. He held it up, shaking his head. "You shouldn't play with stuff like this. Don't you know how dangerous it can be?"

"Kiss my ass." MacGruder spat at Spike's feet.

Spike looked past MacGruder to Vash, who'd lowered his own gun when MacGruder dropped his. "You hear this guy? No respect. Doesn't matter what part of the universe I'm in, these scumbags act the same." He tossed the device away from them then fired a single shot at it. It detonated, shaking the ground beneath their feet. "See? You could've lost an eye with that."

Faye rolled her eyes. "He can never just _catch _somebody. He has to make an ass of himself."

"We'll collect that million on you, fix our ship and go home." Spike turned his back on MacGruder. "If we're lucky," he added under his breath.

MacGruder's hand slipped behind his back, his eyes narrowing at the smart assed bounty hunter's head. "See how funny you are with your brains splattered all over the place."

Spike heard the click of a gun behind him and it wasn't Vash's, either. Pivoting, he lifted his gun and fired. He watched MacGruder slowly drop to his knees before completely falling face forward onto the ground. With a sad sigh, he lowered his gun to his side as he approached MacGruder's body. He kicked the smaller gun away from the downed man's hand.

"You shot me in the knee, you -"MacGruder rolled onto his back, both hands grasping his right leg as he looked down. It took an expert marksman to do what Spike did. The one weak link in his bulletproof body armor - an inch wide gap around the knee joint to allow for movement. The bullet had slipped through that crack as though it were as big as his hand.

"Like you said, you're worth nothing to me if you're dead." He lifted his gaze when he saw Vash near them. The look on the blonde man's face, he appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Shooting him in the knee doesn't count, does it?" he flatly asked.

"I _knew_ you had it in you!" Vash surprised Spike by wrapping his arms around him in a big bear hug. "I'm so _proud_ of you!"

Jet side-glanced at Wolfwood, who watched Spike try in vain to fend off Vash. "This guy isn't _really_ Vash the Stampede, is he? You can tell me the truth."

Wolfwood's mouth quirked as Spike and Vash crashed onto the ground together. "You get used to it after a while."

Faye shook her head, turning away from Spike and Vash. "I'm going to be stuck here forever," she muttered. "Surrounded by _idiots_." Sighing, she left them and headed to the other side of the ship to check on Talbert.

"Bob!" Will shook the man's shoulder, trying to rouse him. "Wake up! Let's get out of here before they come back!"

"Uh ... excuse me?" Faye smiled pleasantly when Will looked up at her.

Fear washing away, Will rose to his feet, smirking at Faye. "Well, well ... over here all alone, huh? Don't have anyone to protect you now, do you?"

She tsk'ed a few times. "I don't need_ them_ to protect me," she sweetly informed him. She delivered a sidekick to his gut, making him double over in pain and surprise. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned over so he could see her face. "They were protecting _you_." Grabbing his head with both hands, she brought his face down into her knee. He dropped to the ground beside Talbert. "Be sure to show some of that 'kindness' of yours to your new 'friends' in jail, jackass."

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "Blues From A Gun" by The Jesus And Mary Chain


	13. I've Tried Everything

Chapter 13: "I've Tried Everything" 

-

Morgan turned away from the cell which held Will, Talbert and MacGruder. "I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't surprised," he told Jet and Spike. "No one's gone after MacGruder's bounty and lived."

"We didn't exactly go after him," Jet reminded the sheriff.

Morgan looked over his shoulder at the scowling outlaw. "Whatever the story, we're glad that you caught him. The people in this town and the surrounding areas can sleep easier at night."

"What about the other two?" Jet nodded to the irritated Talbert and the defeated Will Harman.

The sheriff shrugged. "That's up to the judge. With the list of charges against them, I doubt they'll see the light of day for a long time."

"Who said there's no justice in the world?" Spike half-grinned when he saw the reaction that garnered from two of the prisoners.

"With MacGruder's bounty money, you should be able to repair any damages done to your property."

"Going to take more than money to cover the repairs we'll need."

"Not like we have any place to be," Spike commented as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Last one. He crumpled the empty package and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. "Besides .. Who's going to help you?" He lit the cigarette, enjoying the final one the best he could.

Jet's gaze shifted over to MacGruder sitting in the cell, ultimately sulking, then looked back to Morgan. "Hey ... sheriff. How would you feel about a temporary work release program?"

Morgan turned back to Jet and Spike. "Huh?"

-

"How come you're not inside with the others?"

Wolfwood opened his eyes to find Faye standing in front of him. He sat up straighter, glancing at the sheriff's office behind him. "They don't need my help with that. What about you? Vash show you where to find your little friend?"

Faye nodded as she sat down on the wooden sidewalk with him. "He left her with that insurance girl. The one with the bitchy attitude." She recalled the look on Meryl's face when Faye showed up at her door with Vash. Even after she tried to explain that she wasn't after Vash's bounty, Meryl continued to watch her like a hawk.

"She's on edge lately."

"And I'm not?" She shook her head. "Anyway, Ed and Ein are with them. They went somewhere. Knowing Ed, food is probably involved." She gestured to the sheriff's office. "How long have they been in there?"

"Not long." He glanced at her. "What do you plan to do once your ship is repaired?"

She shrugged as her fingers picked at one of the belts on Wolfwood's cross leaning against the railing. "Who knows? Even if we could leave, where would we go? No telling how far away we are from Mars. And, if we ever found it, it wouldn't be home." She sighed, sadly. "It's funny. I'm finally debt-free and I'm more miserable than ever."

"Money has nothing to do with happiness."

"You don't have a dime and you're pretty grim. What's _your_ excuse?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere for a while." She turned when she heard voices from inside of the sheriff's office become louder. A moment later, Spike, followed by Jet, exited the building. "What happened?"

Spike glanced at Jet, shook his head then stepped off the porch and walked across the street.

"What's _his_ problem?"

"He's not thrilled about the deal I made with the local sheriff."

"What deal is that?"

-

"Aye! Spike!" Ed waved from across the room as Spike entered Ali's Saloon. The girl sat at one of the tables with Vash, the two young women from the insurance company and Ein. A good number of empty plates lay before them. "Merry-Meryl bought us food!"

"Is there any way I can make her stop calling me that?" Meryl groaned as she slumped in her chair, her head tipping back. "All day, that's all I've heard. It's driving me insane!"

"Aww, I think it's a rather cute name, ma'am," Milly chimed in, grinning at Ed who devoured another full plate of food. She picked up a piece of leftover meat from one of the other plates and fed it to Ein. "Besides ... it's just her way of showing how much she likes you."

"I thought giving her food would shut her up."

"Hello!" Ali's cheerful greeting drew Spike's attention away from the others. She smiled brightly. "I'm so glad you're okay. I heard about what happened." She frowned slightly. "I never thought they'd do something so _stupid_."

"Really? You _didn't_?" he said as he neared the woman behind the counter.

"No." Her expression changed again when Spike stopped in front of her. The look in his eyes made her extremely uncomfortable. "I didn't know they were capable of such a thing. Or that Bob Talbert was a relative of that ... that _man_."

"Maybe you should remember that the next time you eavesdrop on someone else's conversation."

Ali's heart thumped a little faster in her chest as she tried her best to look confused. "I ... I don't know what you mean - "She gasped suddenly when Spike leaned towards her, his face half an inch from hers.

"If I had _my_ way, you'd be in jail with the other three." He motioned to the doorway, indicating the sheriff's office across the street from her place. "Your big mouth almost cost me my life and my ship." He narrowed his gaze on her. "I hope you've learned your lesson. The next person might not be as forgiving as I am."

Ali only nodded, quickly. "Y-yes," she shakily whispered. "I-I won't do it again. I promise."

After staring hard at her for a few more seconds, he stood straight. "Good." As he turned, he noticed Vash was on his feet, apparently preparing to intervene. "Sit down," he ordered Vash as he reached the table.

"What was that about?" Meryl inquired as she turned away from the terrified barmaid, her eyes on Spike as he took the empty seat next to Ed.

Vash sat down, his gaze steady on Spike while the other man fished through his jacket pockets, searching for something.

"Someone should learn to keep her mouth shut," Spike muttered then gave up on what he was looking for.

Milly glanced at Meryl then tried to smile as she focused her attention on Spike. "You have the money you need, Mr. Spiegel. Won't you be able to fix your ship now?"

"What's the point?" he snapped in such a fierce tone it made Milly flinch. "We don't have anywhere to go if Jet does manage to fix it." He scoffed as he remembered the deal Jet made with Morgan. "We're trapped on a planet we don't belong and in a time period we don't belong."

Milly bit her lower lip, trying to think of something to say to inspire hope in the man. "You shouldn't give up so easily. You never know what tomorrow's going to bring! Or the day after it. Or the day after that."

"I _do _know. Us leaving here and going back to where we belong isn't in our future." Fed up with the false hope speeches, Spike shoved back his chair and left the saloon, his head hanging low.

Milly sighed. "I was only trying to help."

"I know, Milly." Optimism was Milly's forte and to see her so viciously shot down by a man as cynical as Spike Spiegel, it took every ounce of her willpower to stay in her chair. Part of her wanted nothing more than to chase him down and give him a piece of her mind. Would it solve anything? Probably not. But she would certainly feel better. "You tried."

Ed shoved a slice of bread in Milly's face and grinned when the woman looked at her. "Ed shares her food! Anything can happen! Yep, yep!"

Meryl smiled when Ed's gesture took the sadness away from Milly. Her gaze shifted over to Vash, who silently stared at the doorway of the saloon. He had that look on his face again. She wished she could figure this man out. It would make everything easier, including her job.

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "I've Tried Everything" by The Eurythmics


	14. The Show Must Go On

Chapter 14: "The Show Must Go On" 

_One Month Later ..._

The bay door roared to life. Jet grinned as he watched it lift up to reveal the world outside. His gaze slid over to Spike beside him. The other man simply shrugged, rather unimpressed. The accomplished smile on Jet's face faded into a semi-scowl. "You could at least say thanks," he muttered as he walked by Spike.

"Why?" He sparked his lighter, touching the flame to the end of his fresh cigarette. "Not like I didn't have a way out for the last month."

"That's not the point, Spike."

"Then what is?" he asked, stuffing the lighter back into his jacket pocket. "So you fixed the bay door? How does_ that_ help?"

"It's the last repair the ship needed." Jet stepped out of the bay and into the late afternoon suns' light. "She's ready to fly again. We can leave. If we want to."

Spike sat down on the hull, letting his legs dangle over the side. Down below, the two insurance girls played, somewhat, with Ed. Meryl attempted to get her coat back from Ed, who had it draped over her head, pretending to be a ghost. "Where do we go?"

"We could stay here." Jet looked from the top of Spike's head to the ground below. Not far from Ed and the two women, Faye was laid out in her chair, relaxing and soaking up the suns. That was pretty much all she did nowadays, unless she accompanied Spike in the hunt for another bounty. Her adjustment to her situation was rather smooth. After all, he knew, this was the second time she'd gone through it.

"Become good citizens of Gunsmoke?" Spike laughed. It was more than obvious that's what they were fated to do from day one. Only he seemed to know. The others retained their sense of optimism for a while. Faye's had vanished about two weeks ago. Ed didn't care where she was, as long as Vash was around to play with her. And Jet ... he still had the idea they could get home.

"This planet isn't _that _bad. We could survive here."

"Keep fighting off every jackass who'd love nothing more than to kill us and steal our ship?" Spike looked up to him. "MacGruder and his two pals won't be the last of them, Jet. For once, this pile of junk is priceless. Vash and Wolfwood can't stick around forever to help us out."

"You've managed to catch more than one bounty with Faye's help, they won't _need _to stay forever. As for the other thing ... "He paused, scanning the horizon. "... we're able to relocate as needed."

"Spend the rest of our lives on the run? Like _we're _a bounty ourselves?" Spike laughed, shaking his head. "When we run out of fuel? Then what?" He finished off his cigarette then tossed the butt away. "If we plan to stay here, we'll have to destroy everything." He let his head bow. "Even our own ships. Remove the temptation."

"After all that time I put into repairing this ship? Putting up with Silas MacGruder's bullshit -"

"Hey, that was _your _idea to have him help you. Not mine," Spike interrupted. He rested his palms on the ship as he leaned back. "I should've blown up the **Bebop** instead of MacGruder's armored car. We're not going anywhere. It's time everyone realized that."

-

"Boo!" Ed threw back Meryl's coat and grinned at Faye, who remained in her chair, eyes closed behind her sunglasses. She frowned when she'd gained no reaction from the woman. "Faye-Faye?"

"Give me that!" Meryl, breathless, snatched her coat from Ed's hands. "Ha! I win!" She glanced at Faye. "Thanks for helping out," she muttered.

Faye opened her eyes then peered over the top of her sunglasses at Meryl. "How come _you're _stuck with the kid today?"

"Milly!" Ed sprinted towards the other woman.

Meryl sat down on the ground by Faye, laying her coat over her lap. Milly had taken up a new game of tag with Ed. The girl had become rather fond of Milly, too, in the last few weeks. Probably because Milly joined in the fun with her and Vash. Meryl preferred to stay on the sidelines. The company didn't send her out there to play with kids. Though, some days, Vash could be the biggest kid she'd ever encountered.

"Vash isn't around, that's why." She sighed. "I don't know how you keep up with that kid."

"She amuses herself most of the time." Faye pulled off her sunglasses, watching Ed try to tag Milly. "Probably better for her here. No 'Net to surf." Her expression became more sympathetic. "She didn't have much of a childhood."

Meryl cocked an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder to Faye. The other woman quickly replaced her sunglasses and leaned back in her chair. In the month she'd been around Faye, Meryl's opinion of the woman was rather low. She was selfish, bitchy and vain. Now ... she said something like_ that_? _Maybe Vash is having an effect on** her**, too._

"It's good she'll have a chance to make friends her own age, seeing as how we're not leaving this place."

"You've never figured out what caused your ship to end up on our planet?" The whole thing was a mystery to her, more so than to the people of the **Bebop**. Her own knowledge of things like subspace, hyperspace and anomalies was nonexistent.

"What does it matter?" Faye replied with a shrug. "A freak occurrence, something that may never happen again for as long as we live." Her lips pressed together. "Besides ... I'm comfortable here. It's like Mars, except twice as hot, but my tan's never been better."

Meryl's mouth quirked. "This doesn't trouble you like it does Mr. Spiegel?"

"You haven't been around him long enough, lady," Faye said rather flatly. "_Everything _troubles him more than it does a normal person."

Turning, Meryl looked at the ground. She was well acquainted with that kind of a man. I only wish I knew why ... she thought with a sad sigh. Her head lifted, her eyes turning to the west where she could make out a red speck. Vash spent a lot of time on that rocky overhang the last three evenings, staring up at the sky. _Why won't you tell me what troubles **you**?_

-

A few hours later, the air had taken on a slight chill while the suns sank deeper into the sky. The first stars of the night made their appearance as weak, fuzzy blotches against a faded black blanket. No change in temperature affected Vash. He waited for something. Something only he'd seemed to notice in the night time skies the last three days.

"Why don't you just sit?" he quietly said, eyes never leaving the sky. He watched from the corner of his left eye as Wolfwood joined him at the edge of the overhang. As usual, the priest had a cigarette in his mouth. "Did you follow me up here for a reason?"

Wolfwood exhaled a stream of smoke into the air as he looked up at the sky. "Curious as to what you're doing. You've been up here all night for three days straight." He plucked the cigarette from his lips then shifted his gaze to Vash. "Usually, only people in _my_ line of work take any interest in what's up there." He gestured to the sky. "What's yours?"

Resting his chin on the back of his hands, Vash only kept his attention on the darkening sky above them.

The next few minutes went by peacefully, until Wolfwood finished his cigarette. "You can't stay here forever, Vash."

The blonde nodded. "I've already stayed too long," he quietly replied, his gaze still on those stars. "I'll never find him ... If I don't keep moving."

"Find whom?"

Vash blinked then lifted his head from his hands as he looked to Wolfwood. "You'll be here, won't you?" he replied instead. "At the orphanage in April City?"

He shook his head then looked up to the sky himself. "I can't stay in one place too long, either. You're not the only person here searching for someone, Vash."

"They're still in danger."

"Yes, I know. They always will be, too."

"As long as they're on this planet." Vash turned his own gaze back to the sky. "And trapped in the wrong period of time." It was more than the locals who concerned Vash. In time, the one he sought would learn of their existence. When that day came ...

Then he saw it. The great miracle in the sky he'd kept an eye on for three nights, a shimmering display of color - pinks, blues, greens - the likes that none on this planet had ever witnessed. The streaks danced high above them, silently, beautifully, it filled him with a sense of wonder he couldn't believe.

Wolfwood followed Vash's enthralled gaze, noticing the exhibition of colors in the night sky. He'd never seen anything like it in his life. What was it? Could it be a sign from God? he wondered. Looking back to Vash, he was even more puzzled. The expression on Vash's face, the pure awe contained within his eyes, told the priest he wasn't privvy to what was truly up there.

"What is it?" He was quickly shushed by Vash clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Shhhhh." His gaze dropped to Wolfwood, who was rather annoyed by Vash's hand on his mouth. "It's something ... wonderful." As he looked back to the sky, his hand slipped away from the priest's face. "Very ... wonderful."

-

"Have a seat." Spike shoved the young man into the chair opposite Maxwell Morgan. He lit his cigarette and flicked the cap of the lighter shut as he looked to the sheriff. "Took me two days to find this guy." He laughed a little. "None too bright, this one."

"Fuck you," grumbled the outlaw sulking in the chair. He winced when Spike open palm slapped him in the back of the head.

"Well ..." Morgan stood up, shaking his head in amazement. "500 thousand bounty, after only two days of searching."

"Hardly seems fair." Spike blew smoke down at the man who glared up at him. "That this _moron_ has that kind of bounty on his head. What did you do, anyway, genius?"

"I free the oppressed!" declared the man.

"He sabotages plant generators and extorts the townsfolk with the parts they need to make the necessary repairs," Morgan replied. "Town not far from here went completely under about a month and a half ago because of this guy."

"Oh?" Spike let his ashes fall into the man's lap. "Sabotage? Didn't think you had something that advanced in you."

"It's not sabotage when you're trying to give freedom to those who don't have it."

"And it's illegal when you charge insane amounts of money for parts to repair a machine that_ you_ broke." Morgan grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. "I'm sure the people of New Haven's Point would agree. If there was anyone left, that is. They had to relocate because of your antics."

Spike watched Morgan practically dragged the young man out of the room, to toss him into the jail in the back of the building. He turned when Faye entered the office. "500 thousand. Not too bad."

"The work's tougher here, it's well earned," she commented. She moved around to the other side of Morgan's desk, picked up some of the newest wanted posters and looked them over. "Eric Devlin. Wow. Two million." She smiled. "My kind of guy."

"We do well enough, despite the difficulties." He held the cigarette between his lips as he took the poster Faye offered to him. "Should be able to find this guy, too."

"With their help."

Spike glanced at her. Yes, Wolfwood and Vash had been valuable in the last month. However, they'd learned the lay of the land in this particular area and they wouldn't require their aid for much longer. "Bank robbery?" He scoffed, amused. "This place _is_ the Wild West, isn't it?"

"A million? I don't care what he's done." She gazed longingly at the man in the picture. She couldn't wait to start the search for him.

The bounty hunting may've been difficult for two people accustomed to detailed reports on their targets, but it turned out to be a bonus in Faye's case. More than ever, Spike and Jet needed her and her help. Jet spent most of his time with the **Bebop**, so she was Spike's constant companion on the job. She'd adjusted to her new situation with amazing ease for a few reasons. She had a clean slate here, she'd been through it before and, for the first time since she'd met him, Spike Spiegel wasn't preoccupied with the elusive Julia.

"A million?" Spike looked down on her. "Only if _you_ carry your weight this time."

She put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. "When haven't I? _You'd_ be in trouble if _I_ weren't here, watching _your _ass."

"Maybe if you spent more time _helping_ instead of _watching_, it wouldn't take two days to catch someone who's right under our nose."

She snatched the paper from his hands. "Fine. I'll take this one for myself. You chase your own bounties, since you're apparently doing all the work anyway." She smiled as she held up the poster. "2 million ... all for me."

"All for you to waste on the local card games, you mean," Spike replied, tugging the paper from her hands. "You have a radar when it comes to gambling, Faye. If there's a game of chance within a thousand miles, you'll find it."

"What do _you_ care what I spend _my_ money on?" She yanked the poster back.

"You'll end up in debt again." He wagged his cigarette in her face. "Mark my words."

Morgan stopped just before he entered the room when he heard Faye and Spike arguing. These two fought more than his own parents. In the four bounties they'd turned over to him, not one went by without some argument over money, who did what or who deserved what. Today was no different.

"Mind your own finances, Spike. Do I give you the third degree on your share and what you do with it? No." She held up the poster between them. "I'll find this guy, all right. By _my_self!"

"That means no help from Wolfwood!" Spike called after her as she left the sheriff's office. She responded with a foul hand gesture then slammed the door shut. "I have to get away from her," he muttered.

"That lady of yours, she has quite a temper, eh?" Morgan commented as he finally walked into the room. "Sorry, couldn't help but overhear. Didn't want to interrupt, either," he apologized when Spike turned.

"Interrupt all you like. It's the same damn fight."

Morgan sat in his chair. "I'm sure the two of you will, um, figure it out ... later," he assured him.

Noting the tone in which Morgan spoke, he lifted his eyebrows slightly at the sheriff, who had a knowing smile on his face. "What do you mean by _that_?"

Morgan made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "It's none of my business."

Spike stared the man, seeing that glint still in the sheriff's eyes. Just what kind of relationship did Morgan think he had with Faye? Certainly, he had a good idea of the man's misconception but what would make him come to _that_ conclusion? So they were at each other's throats most of the time. What sane person _wouldn't _be with that woman?

Rather than delve into a conversation he'd rather not have with someone he considered an acquaintance, he bid a tired farewell to Morgan and left the building. It was time to go back to the **Bebop**.

-

Faye entered the main living area of the **Bebop** to find Milly with Ed. The girl showed her the hacking program she'd invented and all of the havoc she could wreak with it. Beside them, on the couch, Meryl was in front of an ancient device called a 'typewriter'. A stack of papers sat to her left and her concentration was on the one in the machine as she clicked away on her keys. The woman was as deft on the relic as Ed was on her own keyboard.

"Hi, Ms. Valentine!" Milly greeted as Faye showed up behind the couch. She waved a bit when Spike came into the room. "You're both back. Did you turn in Phineas Blake?"

"We did." Spike exchanged a brief glare with Faye as he walked by her.

"You're doing well for yourselves now, aren't you?" Milly commented as Spike collapsed onto the couch on the opposite side of the table.

"Yeah," was his grumbled response. He took off his jacket and draped it over his head to shut out the light and excess noise of Meryl's typing.

Faye rested her elbows on the back of Meryl and Milly's couch. "Don't let him bother you," she said to Milly. "He's been in a bitchy mood for three days." She brought out the poster she'd taken from Morgan's office. "You wouldn't know where our good priest is, would you?"

There was a muffled laugh from underneath Spike's jacket. Meryl's typing stopped as she looked over to Milly. Both women turned to Faye, who waited on them for an answer.

"Well? Where is he?"

"He -"Meryl started the same time as Milly. Neither one wanted to be the bearer of this news. Immediately, each stopped, expecting the other to tell Faye.

"He what?" Faye drummed her fingers on the couch, becoming impatient.

"Priest man go bye-bye!" Ed exclaimed, her goggle covered eyes never leaving her monitor. She began to hum a tune that Faye'd never heard from her before.

"_He left_?" She stood straight, a mix of anger and panic on her face. The fact she could hear Spike laughing on the other side of the room didn't help matters, either. Her right hand crumpled the poster as her hands balled into fists. "When did he leave?" she tightly asked.

"Uh ... not long after you did this morning," Meryl answered.

"Without saying anything?"

"He said good-bye to us!" Milly smiled, gesturing to herself and Meryl.

Faye thumped her fists on the back of the couch, her anger reaching a new level. After all they'd been through, he could just pick up and leave without saying anything, not even good-bye, to her? _Typical** man**_, she bitterly thought, her jaw clenching.

"Did he tell you where he was going?" she asked when she managed to calm down.

"No." Milly shook her head.

"Not even the slightest clue?"

Ed, singing in the same tune she'd been humming, replied, "He's a-somewhere a-workin' for his Looooord!"

Faye blinked. "He left me for _that_?" Frustrated, she threw the crumpled poster onto the table beside Ed's computer and left the room, muttering a string of curses under her breath.

Meryl sighed, relieved it'd gone that well. She'd noticed how close Wolfwood had become with Faye in the last few weeks. For some reason, their bond went deeper than being about these stranded strangers needing his help. She didn't ask questions, though. It wasn't any of her business. She flinched when she heard the loud clang of a door slamming shut elsewhere in the ship. Or perhaps it hadn't gone so well.

Still happily humming, Ed picked up the paper and uncrumpled it. "Bounty! Ooo! 2 million. Big, big money." She lifted up her goggles, shaking the paper in Spike's direction. "Faye-Faye doesn't want it, Spike."

"I'll start on it tomorrow, Ed. I'm tired."

She turned the paper upside down, sighing. "All right. Gonna be tough without Vashy-Vash, though!"

Spike threw back his jacket as he sat up on the couch. "What do you mean, without him? Is _he_ gone, too?" When the two insurance girls nodded, he fell back on the sofa with a groan. "Great."

"He didn't go far, Mr. Spiegel," Meryl assured him. "If he'd left completely, Milly and I wouldn't be here. It's our job to follow him wherever he goes."

"Mm-hmm." Milly smiled as she nodded. "He left the same time Mr. Wolfwood did. They went in opposite directions, though. Vash went north."

"Did he say where he was going?"

Milly looked to Meryl. Her supervisor had been the last to speak to him. "Ma'am?"

"He said something about finding the solution to your problem in New Haven's Point. It's a smaller town, just north of here."

"New Haven's Point?" Spike repeated. Now, why did that name sound familiar? "The town that had it's generator sabotaged by Phineas Blake?"

Meryl's brow furrowed. "Hmm. I never connected the two until now. But, yes. It is."

Spike stared up at the ceiling. From the way Morgan put it, New Haven's Point was a ghost town because of Blake. What in the hell could be there that was so important? And why did Vash believe it was the 'solution' to their problem?

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "The Show Must Go On" by Queen


	15. Keep Hope Alive

Chapter 15: "Keep Hope Alive" 

-

Faye threw her jacket onto her bed as she sat down with a scowl. How could he just leave like that? In the last few weeks, she thought she'd figured him out. He'd never given any indication that he'd pull stakes and vanish without saying a word. Oh, sure, he'd tell the tagalong women from the insurance company good-bye, but _her_? No. Nothing. It was something she'd expect of _Spike_, a complete disregard for _anyone_ else's feelings. Especially _hers_.

_Never should've trusted a damn priest._

Her rigid posture relaxed when she noticed something wrapped around the beta tape lying atop the monitor in her quarters. "What's this?" she murmured as she crawled to the other end of her bed. When she picked up the tape, a piece of paper, along with something else, fell away from it. Unfolding the paper, she found a few words in Wolfwood's handwriting scrawled upon it.

'Have a little faith.'

Her gaze shifted to the glittering piece of jewelry lying before her. Her fingers carefully curled around the chain and she realized what it was - a cross, similar to the one Wolfwood wore around his own neck. Looking back to the note, she noticed the P.S.

'Listen to yourself.'

Upon inspection, she found the beta tape was no longer rewound to the beginning. After she put the note aside, her half-trembling fingers grabbed the tape then shoved it into the machine. Once she turned on the monitor, she saw her younger self, decked out in much more conservative clothes, smiling and waving her pom poms.

"I'm cheering for you!" the girl brightly exclaimed.

As the young Faye continued to cheer, her gaze lowered to the cross Wolfwood had left behind. This was his good-bye. It was more comforting than any words could've possibly been. Holding the cross close, a smile on her face, she watched herself - a person who was so happy and so free.

-

Vash pushed open the door to one of the plant generators - the central energy generator, to be exact. The hinges squeaked loudly, echoing throughout the spherical container. Usually, some sort of machinery would be running, but thanks to Phineas Blake, the generator was damaged, leaving its source of power alone ... without purpose.

As he entered, he removed his sunglasses, tucking them away inside his coat. Broken glass crunched underneath his feet as he walked towards the dim bulb in the center of the room. He'd sensed her presence long before he'd entered and she'd responded, to his relief. As he approached, the source of power to the barely functioning generator stirred. Vash placed both hands to the glass bulb, gazing at the beautiful creature inside, separated from the rest of the world.

**_No, don't_**, he thought, when she moved towards him. _**Rest, sister.**_ Their connection was stronger now and he felt the abandonment she did. The humans simply left her behind when their energy generator was rendered useless. _**They've forgotten you, haven't they?**_ He closed his eyes. _**I'm sorry they did this. You deserve better.**_

When his eyes opened, he found himself gazing into the bright red, innocent orbs of the energy plant. Her hands moved to mirror his own on the glass. The tattered angelic-like wings hung limply down her naked back. Her feelings of frustration, of being forgotten by those she'd spent so many years providing life giving energy for struck him deeply. Humans were capable of such terribly cruelty as well as awe-inspiring acts of kindness. They were such a mystery.

**_I can help you_**, he 'told' her. _**You can be free.**_ He noted her puzzlement when she 'heard' that. "Free". The word held no meaning for her. She'd known only a life of servitude. Vash and his brother, they'd experienced more than the miserable life this beautiful creature had. **_The energy you're capable of producing, I can use it. _**He paused, listening to her inquiry. _**To help someone. Friends of mine. They need you. **I **need you.**_

Inside, the hands moved as if to touch the face of the 'brother' who showed concern for her.

_**I won't force you to do this, sister. After I show you what I need you to do, you should decide. **_He sighed heavily. His heart sank when he thought of what his plan required. But all of those who depended on this particular plant, they'd gone. He couldn't leave her here, not this way, either. If he'd have known about Phineas Blake before now, he would've been there sooner.

Leaning his forehead against the glass, Vash sighed again. _**Close your eyes**_, he thought to her. _**I'll show you what I need you to do.**_ He waited for her eyes to close and then he followed suit.

Using their strong telepathic bond, he created visions of the lights he'd seen in the skies for the last week inside of her mind. Beyond the colors themselves, he delved deeper and opened up their true nature so she could see what caused the spectacle. Clusters of particles, hidden in subspace, they waited ... waited for that one burst of energy to bring them to life. A flash, then a shimmering portal, almost identical to the one that brought the** Bebop** to Gunsmoke, emerged into the mind's eye of the plant. The swirling was almost hypnotic. An anomaly was created as a result of the massive energy spike.

Vash's eyes opened and so did hers. She stared into his brilliant green eyes made slightly murky by the filthy glass of her cage. She understood immediately what he asked of her. Yet, she hesitated to answer.

_**The skies won't stay this way forever, sister**_, he thought, a hint of desperation in his tone. _**They'll go as easily as they came.**_

Lowering her gaze to the floor, her hands slid away from the glass. Should she refuse, she would remain forgotten. However, she had no doubt that Vash would take care of her in her cell, the prison she could never leave. The other option, though, it gave her a chance at this ... "freedom" Vash had spoken of. An existence beyond the bulb she'd spent her entire lifespan, working for the benefit of people who'd so easily walked away from her.

Her gaze lifted, looking to the top of the bulb. Somewhere, up there, was something more than what she'd known. She was curious about it. What was out there? What was on the other side? Was it this 'freedom' word? Or something more? If helping Vash's friends could open that door, she would gladly walk through it.

Having made her decision, she met Vash's gaze then nodded once.

-

Jet reclined in the pilot's seat, staring out the forward window of the **Bebo**p's bridge, thoughtfully smoking a cigarette. The sound of footsteps behind him caught his attention. In the reflection of the glass, his visitor was revealed.

"Vash ever come back?" he asked as Spike neared.

Spike leaned against one of the consoles, folding his arms across his chest. "I haven't seen him. The women from the insurance company are convinced he'll be back. They know him better than we do."

"I wonder what's in that town?" Jet exhaled a cloud of smoke, side- glancing at his colleague. "He thinks it'll get us home, you know."

"You still the optimist?"

He shrugged and took another drag off the cigarette. "_You_ still want to destroy the ship?"

"We have no choice." He lifted his head, looking at Jet's profile as the other man continued to gaze out the forward window. "Wolfwood's already moved on. Soon, the others will."

"Ed won't be happy when that day comes."

"That's life. A lot of shit happens that we don't like."

"I know." He flicked the ashes off the end of the cigarette. A long silence passed between them. "Look, Spike, if this idea Vash has doesn't work ... "

Spike looked at Jet when the man trailed off. "What?"

Heaving a defeated sigh, Jet bowed his head and murmured, "We'll do what you want. We'll remove the temptation. Give up. Make ourselves the newest colonists of this desert rock."

"Jet!" Ed appeared on the bridge. "Vashy is back!" Having delivered her message, she vanished just as suddenly as she'd arrived.

Jet took one final drag on his cigarette. "Let's see what miracle our friend has up his sleeve."

-

"They're coming!" Ed jumped onto the couch then balanced herself on the back of it as she smiled at Vash. "Vashy bring back any souvenirs?" she eagerly inquired. She frowned when he turned over empty palms. "Awww."

Faye shook her head as she leaned back on the couch. Whatever this was, she hoped it wouldn't take too long. The regular poker game in April City started soon and she had a good deal of money to play with tonight. One of the best things about being stuck on Gunsmoke was that the people here weren't wise to her particular card tricks. If they suspected her of cheating, they couldn't figure out how she did it.

"Welcome back," Jet greeted Vash as he came into the room.

"What's all this about?" Spike asked as she sat down on the couch with Faye.

"I know of a way to get you back to your own time and space." He saw the blank look on Spike's face. The man didn't have a bit of hope left. Faye only rolled her eyes as she sighed. Another non-believer. Jet, on the other hand, stepped forward, apparently interested.

"How?"

Vash looked at him. "It's a long story. I just ... know this will work."

"What will?" Spike asked, rather annoyed he'd been dragged down there for this. "Unless you have a time machine stashed in another town, I don't see how you can just know this idea of yours will work."

Vash's gaze shifted to Spike. "You don't have_ any _faith in me?"

The question took Spike by surprise. The dead seriousness of the tone had thrown him as well. Vash meant his question, it wasn't sarcastic.

"That depends," Faye spoke up when it became obvious that Spike wasn't. "How do you plan to do it?"

"What are they saying?" Meryl whispered as she tried to peek around Milly to see into the room. They'd left at Vash's request. She wanted to know what was going on. If his plan might be dangerous.

"Shhh." Milly placed a finger to her lips. "I can't hear if you keep talking."

"I need two days," Vash replied in answer to Faye's question.

"Why two days?" Jet asked.

"I told you, it's a long story." _One you'd never fully understand, probably._ He would've liked to tell them. At least Jet. He was the only one with any hope left.

"The night's young. Start telling." Spike reclined on the couch, draping his arms over the back of it and waited for Vash to continue.

Ed gazed up at Vash, wide-eyed. She cocked her head to one side when her friend looked down on her. She was curious about his plan, too. How did he know he could make another hole in time and space? Did he have magic powers? She'd suspected he was more than what he appeared to be since they'd first met. He even tasted different than everyone else.

Vash sighed. "Did you notice the lights in the sky this last week? In the evenings?" He watched them exchange glances, shrugging. So, they hadn't. "It's a rare occurrence in this part of the universe. I can make it work for you. I need two days to do it, though. Your ship, it can fly now, right, Mr. Black?"

Jet nodded. "Everything is fixed. Just need a direction to go in."

"I'm not clear on how 'lights in the sky' are going to get us home." Spike still wasn't convinced that there was good enough reason to bother with this.

"Give me two days and I'll show you, Spike."

He stared Vash. That was the first time he'd called him anything other than 'Mr. Spiegel'. After a few seconds, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see what it'd hurt to wait. Jet?" He looked to the ship's captain. "What do you think?"

"I'm curious," he said with a shrug of his own.

Vash smiled before turning to Faye. "Faye?"

She snapped out of her daze when she heard Vash say her name. She glanced at Jet then settled her gaze on Spike next to her. If Vash's idea worked and they did return to where they belonged, things would go back to normal. The same ol', same ol'. On this planet, however, she had a real chance of getting something she'd wanted for a long time.

"What do you want to do?" Spike asked after Faye stared at him, oddly, for almost a full minute.

For once, she had to consider somebody other than herself. Turning to Vash, she said, "You have two days. No more. Got it?"

Vash nodded. "And you?" he asked as he squatted down in front of Ed, a semi-smile on his face. "What do _you_ think?"

Ed stopped petting Ein, surprised. "Huh? You want to know what Ed thinks?" she asked, pointing to herself.

"You're part of this crew."

She glanced over her shoulder at the three adults. They, too, appeared surprised by Vash's asking for her opinion. None made a comment to contradict what he'd said about her being a part of the crew, though. Her gaze shifted back to him. Finally, she let out a breath. "Vashy gonna come with us?" she asked, hopeful.

His smiled faded. "No, Ed, I have to stay where I belong." A hand rested on top of her head when she frowned at his response. "I wish I could go with you, but I'm needed here."

"Can I stay here?"

Vash's hand slipped away from her head as he sighed softly. As much as he would miss her, he had to let her go. She would never be safe on this planet. Not with Knives out there. "You can't stay with me," he gently replied. "I can't take care of you the way they can." He nodded to Spike, Jet and Faye.

Ed fought back the tears. She'd had so much fun here and she wanted to stay with Vash. And Milly. Even though he'd asked her what she'd thought, she had no real choice. He told her she couldn't stay and, since the others wanted to go home, she was forced to do the same.

"If you want Ed to leave ... Ed will leave," she whispered. She jumped to her feet, brushing away the falling tears as she fled the room.

Vash's head dropped. "That didn't go quite how I'd wanted."

"She's just a kid, Vash. She'll understand when she gets older," Jet assured him. "You're only doing what's best for her."

"Am I?" he asked as he looked up to Jet.

"Yes. You know you are, too. I can tell by the look in your eyes."

He sighed, shaking his head. He'd made friends with many people over time. Very few caused him pain like this when he parted ways with them, either by choice or unfortunate circumstance. Rem would want Ed to go home, where she belonged and would be safe from harm. Yes. He'd made the right decision. Only the right decision could cause that kind of heartache.

He rose to his feet. "Two days, I'll be back." He pulled out his sunglasses, even though it was night, then he put them on. He didn't want them to see the tears in his own eyes. Not today. He looked over to the other three. "When I return, you'll go home."

They watched in silence as Vash left the room.

-

Ein pawed at Ed, whining in concern for his human friend. She sat in one of the **Bebop**'s corridors, curled up in a corner, crying. The girl ignored him and continued to sob into her palms. She didn't understand Vash. They'd had a lot of good times together in the last few weeks and he didn't want her to stay. Wasn't he her friend? Wasn't she _his_? The thought of leaving and never seeing him again... She didn't want to go back to her own time if that's what had to happen. Why couldn't they just _all _stay?

Meryl stopped at the opposite end of the corridor, a sympathetic look on her face when she finally found Ed. The girl was terribly upset over the prospect of leaving Vash. It often amazed her, this ability the man had to enrapture people. Not only children, but adults. Lately, she couldn't imagine her life without him. Any thoughts of a Vash-free existence were quickly expelled from her mind.

"Ed?" she gently said as she approached her. She came to a halt when Ed lifted up her head, her tear-stained face fully visible. "Are you all right?" She'd never been very good with children, this was more Milly's area. She didn't have the large family and barely kept in touch with the one she had.

"Why can't I stay?" she asked between sniffles.

Meryl sighed, not sure how to explain the why in terms that Ed could understand._ I should've had Milly to come with me, she thought. She would know what to say._

"Why does he want me to go away?"

"He doesn't want you to go, Ed, you just ... have to." Meryl bit her lower lip when that didn't help the situation any. "Don't you miss home? Where you're from?"

Ed wiped away her tears. "This is home. The** Bebop**." She patted the wall she leaned against then frowned. "I don't want to go back to Mars. Wanna stay."

Kneeling down, Meryl tried another angle. "Vash is always traveling. We don't stay in one place for a long time. You should have some ...stability. Like you have here." She gestured to the ship. "You belong_ here_."

Ed slumped down against the wall, groaning sadly. "Ed doesn't belong anywhere." She lifted her gaze to Meryl. "How come you get to stay with Vashy all the time?"

"It's my job. I've told you that before."

"But you like him?"

Her brow furrowed. "He may be annoying, frustrating and incredibly stupid at times, but, yes, I like him." She paused, noticing the way Ed looked at her. "When did this become about me, anyway?"

Ed studied her for a few moments then said, "You can't leave him, right?"

"Not until my employer says otherwise."

Suddenly happy, Ed sprang from the corner and landed in Meryl's lap with a grin. "Yay! Then Merry-Meryl and Milly can help take care of Ed when Ed stays!"

Groaning, Meryl's head dropped. "No, we can't. Vash is only doing this because he cares. Can't you understand that?" She looked at the girl, who was depressed all over again. "He's not sending you away because he doesn't like you, it's because he _does_."

Ed crawled away from Meryl and went back to sulking in her corner. No one wanted her around. She couldn't stay where she was happy and Vash wouldn't come with them.

"This isn't easy for him," Meryl softly continued. "I know he'd rather have you around. He can't. If you're really his friend, you'll do as he wants. No matter how much you don't like it."

Ed looked up at her. "If he told _you_ to go away, would you?"

"Well ... no. My job keeps me with him."

"What if it wasn't your job? Would you then?"

She briefly glared at the child. Why did she have to ask it that way? Despite her actual feelings on the matter, she replied, "Yes, if I thought he was trying to help me."

The girl eyed her with a certain amount of suspicion. She wasn't sure Meryl told the truth on that one. Still, it appeared she had no other choice except to believe her. "All right," she sighed. "Ed'll do what Vashy wants and go back with the others."

Inwardly, Meryl sighed with relief. Ed's hesitation had concerned her. She thought the kid had picked up on her lie about leaving Vash, should he tell her to go. Luckily, she'd gotten away with it. She rose to her feet and extended a hand to Ed. "Milly's probably worried about you. Let's find her."

Ed grabbed Meryl's hand and pulled herself off of the floor. "You think Vashy can send us home?" she asked as they walked down the corridor together.

Meryl thought on it for a minute. She'd seen many impressive things in the time she'd been with Vash, some of them nothing short of miracles. And that's what it would take to get the crew of the **Bebop **back where they belonged - a miracle.

"I think ... "she began after a short silence. "... that if anyone can do it, it's him."

-

More to Come ...

Song Title Used: "Keep Hope Alive" by The Crystal Method


	16. Songs of Farewell and Departure

Chapter 16: "Songs of Farewell and Departure"

-

Spike flicked open his lighter, touching the flame to the end of his cigarette. As he exhaled the smoke, he tucked his lighter inside his jacket, his gaze going back to the night sky. He'd stood in the chilly air of the evening, waiting for Vash to return, for almost an hour so far tonight. The two days had passed and neither the man nor his "solution" had materialized.

He held the cigarette between his index and middle fingers as he withdrew it from his mouth and his eyes narrowed at the mysterious lights in the sky. A similar spectacle was viewable on Earth - or so he'd heard. The Aurora Borealis. Caused by particles hurled away from the sun and interacting with the Earth's upper atmosphere. He'd never been one for astronomy, so he'd never looked into the workings of the mystical occurrence.

As he studied it, he thought it was rather odd. Why exactly, he couldn't say. It felt abnormal, like there was more to it than particles interacting with Gunsmoke's upper atmosphere. He imagined that with twin suns the effect would've been more glorious than this.

Taking another drag off the cigarette, his eyes wandered away from the lights and to the rest of the stars above him. They seemed plain next to the celestial art display. He gazed upon each star with an appraising eye as he tried to figure out which one led to their own solar system. Or to that Never Never Land from the childrens story that originated on old Earth.

_Where are you?_ he wondered as his eyes settled on one brightly shimmering star. More than likely, it was a nearby planet. _You're not there. You're not even alive anymore._ He no longer dreamed of home, he was preoccupied with someone he hadn't thought of for weeks. _Julia ..._

Over a thousand years lay between them instead of a mere three. What had happened to her? Did she even notice that he'd vanished from their own piece of space? Did she even care? The more he thought of her, the clearer the woman's face became in his mind's eye. He concentrated on the image of her. _When you died ... did you think of me?_

The sound of footsteps approaching from behind snapped him out of his reverie. The cigarette went back to his lips, he took one more drag then he exhaled. In his peripheral view, he watched Faye, her jacket wrapped tightly around her upper body, join him. She said nothing, only took in the illustrious display of colors in the skies. This was the first time she'd truly looked at it. As with Spike, it reminded her of the Northern Lights. She'd never seen them, either. Or maybe she had when she was little and the memory of it was stolen along with all the rest.

She shivered at the cool breeze blowing across the open wasteland. Her hands rubbed her upper arms, yet she couldn't take her eyes off of the lights. They were quite amazing. Why none of them had noticed it before, she couldn't guess. Vash picked up on everything, though. For being a dense fool, he was rather sharp. Sometimes. Her eyes left the sky and shifted over to Spike's profile. He continued to focus his attention above them.

For reasons beyond her comprehension, Faye felt compelled to tell him how she felt. Even more than when than when they were helplessly floating in space, unsure of whether or not they would live or die. Fingers nervously toying with the cross around her neck, she sighed softly. The conversation she had with Wolfwood came rushing back to her. If they were to be trapped on Gunsmoke, could she really continue on this way? Could she grin and bear it, like she'd told him?

Her lips parted slightly, the words that she'd meant to say caught in her throat and a short, barely audible squeak came out instead. She quickly pressed her lips together, swallowing hard, embarrassed, even though she'd said nothing. He hadn't seemed to notice any of it. Rather typical of Spike, wrapped up in whatever was going on in his head.

Spike blew out the smoke as he removed the cigarette from his mouth, his eyes on the sky. "You've been looking at me like that for a while now, Faye," he said in a low, even tone.

"No, I haven't," she replied, rather defensive. She pointed to the sky. "I was looking at_ that_. I just now looked at you."

"I didn't mean right at this moment. You've been doing it for weeks."

She sighed as she turned her own gaze to the sky. "In case you haven't noticed, there's not a lot of interesting scenery on this planet," she stiffly replied.

"You did it before we came here, too." He finished off the cigarette and dropped the smoldering butt to the ground. After he snuffed it out with his shoe, he finally looked at her. "Why?"

She felt him staring at her. Her finger continued to wind and unwind itself around the chain. "I need a _reason _to look at you?" she nonchalantly asked.

"No, you don't _need _one, but you _have_ one."

She felt her face flush. Bathed in the bright light of Gunsmoke's five moons, she hoped that he didn't notice it. She found the ground terribly interesting for a minute, then she dared to look him in the eyes. If she couldn't say it, maybe she should show him? She pictured it in her mind, showing him why she'd looked at him like that for so long. The end result was a disaster. He didn't care about her, he never would. Not even half a universe worth of distance and a thousand years away from that damn Julia could change it.

"You're stuck on yourself, Spike," she muttered. Bowing her head, she wrapped her arms around herself and walked away, brushing roughly by him as she did so. The whole situation was a form of sadistic torture. Karmic revenge for all of her hustling and double-dealing. What else could it be called, to be stuck with someone who would never love her in return?

"What's _her_ problem?" Spike wondered as Faye headed for the Bebop. He shoved his hands into his pockets and went back to gazing at the stars.

"You've finally seen the light?"

Vash's voice made Spike turn around. The blonde stood not far behind him, a less intense expression on his face than when he'd last seen the man.

"Yeah, I guess I have," he quietly replied then looked up to the sky. As Vash stepped beside him, he added, "This is what's getting us home?"

"If this works, it will." Vash locked his hands together behind his back then side-glanced at Spike. "What did Faye want?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. She's been acting stranger than usual lately."

"Oh." Vash paused, becoming thoughtful. "Wonder why that is?"

"I gave up on figuring out women a long time ago, Vash." He paused himself, when he realized he carried on a half-way intelligent conversation with the man for once. Shrugging again, he added, "I guess it's over how Wolfwood just left last week."

"Ah." Another side-glance at the bounty hunter. "Are you _certain_?"

"I don't know what the hell else it could be," Spike replied, rather annoyed Vash pressed the issue. He looked to Vash, noting the expression on his face. "What?"

Vash remained silent. It wasn't his place to reveal Faye's secrets, especially one so delicate and personal. He couldn't understand why Spike himself was blind to it. Perhaps he denied it, so he wouldn't have to address the woman and her feelings. Still, Vash knew love when he saw it. And he saw it whenever Faye was in Spike's presence.

"Do you know something, Vash?" he finally asked.

Mood changing entirely, Vash grabbed Spike by the shoulders and exclaimed, "Let's send you home!" Not waiting around for a reply, Vash headed back to the ship with a bounce in his step.

Spike slowly shook his head. "How does that idiot manage to stay alive on this planet?" Casting one last glance up at the sky, he followed.

-

"You want me to go _where_?" Jet turned in the pilot's seat. Vash and Spike stood behind him on the bridge; Vash wore that big grin on his face and Spike just rolled his eyes while he lit up a new cigarette.

"Take the ship to New Haven's Point!" Vash repeated. He came closer, scanning the consoles and panels around Jet's chair. "It's not far away, not if you're flying."

"What's in this town?" He made no move to bring the engines back up. He wanted an explanation. "The ship doesn't move unless you tell me exactly what I'm taking her to. I put too much blood and sweat into repairing her and I want to know what's at the end of the Yellow Brick Road."

Vash leaned on one of the consoles. "The way home!"

Jet sighed. That wasn't a real answer. However, it was obvious Vash wasn't giving up any more information. He met the blonde's gaze. "Hold on. I don't know how well she's going to fly after a month in ... dry dock."

-

Down in the main living area of the **Bebop**, Meryl and Milly froze as the engines of the ship roared to life once again. The room shook, the metal of the craft creaked and yawned as Jet applied more thrust to the engines.

"**Bebop** is alive!" Ed declared. She threw her hands over her head, dancing for joy.

Meryl laughed nervously but the sudden jerk of the ship made her grab onto Milly. Her eyes squeezed shut. _Please, don't let us die! Please ... please ... please ..._ she begged. The sounds the ship made as it moved terrified her, she'd never heard noises like this before. Not even in a sand steamer.

"Ma'am?" Milly placed a hand on one of Meryl's and smiled when her supervisor opened her eyes. "We're all right. We're ... _flying_!" A look of wonder in her eyes, Milly laughed. "We're actually flying in a ship from _space_!"

Meryl's grip on Milly loosened and her shoulders relaxed. Ed continued to dance and sing with no fear of the strange noises the ship made. Then it dawned on Meryl what an experience this was. No one had flown in a ship like this for over a century. She, Meryl Stryfe, of Bernardelli Insurance Company was one of the first to do so again.

"Yes, we are, aren't we?" A smile found its way to her face. "We're _flying_."

"Flying!" Ed ran by, her arms out at her sides like airplane wings. "Fly, fly, fly! Into the sky!"

-

"Right there." Vash pointed to the main bulb generator in New Haven's Point. "That's where you need to land."

Spike peered through the glass of the forward window as the **Bebop** descended. "I thought the generators in this town were sabotaged?" he said, looking over to Vash. "That one seems to be working just fine."

"I managed to fix it." Vash avoided eye contact with Spike as he joined the other man by the window. Soon, the ship landed and he smiled a bit. "This is perfect."

"_You_ fixed it?" Spike stared at him, visibly surprised. "How? I wasn't aware you possessed any engineering skills."

"Some things that need repair ... it's not always mechanical in nature, Mr. Spiegel." Vash's smile brightened then he went back to Jet. "This is where you need to stay for a while. You can shut down your engines, if you need to conserve your fuel."

"All right, but - "Jet didn't get to finish his question because Vash was already gone. He looked to Spike. "How the hell does he _do_ that?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing."

-

"We've stopped." Meryl fell silent as the engines did. "Milly ... what happened?" The stillness was broken as Vash bounded into the room.

"This is where we get off, ladies!" he declared, smiling at the two insurance girls.

"Where did we go?" Milly asked as she helped Meryl gather up all of her things. "Is the ship still working? The engines aren't running now."

Vash picked up a few things and stacked them in Meryl's already overloaded arms. "We're fine. We're in New Haven's Point."

"Already?" Meryl tried to peer over the top of her papers at him.

"Yep! Time to go." He ushered the women out of the room. He leaned into the corridor, waving at them. "I'll be right with you!" he called out. "I have to give Mr. Black a few more instructions!"

"Vashy?"

He looked down when he felt someone grab onto his wrist. Ed gaze up at him, the hint of tears in her eyes. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked as he lowered himself to her level.

Ed wrapped her arms around his neck. "Are you sure Ed can't stay with you?" she asked in a hopeful whisper.

He returned her hug, his heart sinking once more at the thought of her leaving. Forever. "Yes, Ed. I'm sure. You'll remember me, won't you?"

She nodded yet kept her arms tight around him. "Yes. Ed will remember."

Ein barked, wagging his tail when both humans looked down to him. Smiling, Vash scratched the dog behind his ears. "I'll miss you, too, Ein," he assured the Corgi.

Clinging to Vash one final time, Ed begged, "Please ... come with us?" Her fingers gripped his coat. "Vashy would like Mars. Please?"

"He's already told you that he can't," Faye said as she entered the room. Her arms were folded across her chest as she gazed at the two of them. "Let go of him."

Ed backed away from Vash as she looked to Faye. Vash was on his feet once more, his own eyes on Faye as she approached.

"The longer you stay, the harder it is on her," Faye flatly informed him. "Just go. She'll be all right. She has to learn to live with disappointment some time in her life."

"No, she doesn't. There's always hope."

"Not this time, Vash. We leave, we never return. It's _over_."

Vash reached out to Faye's neck, startling her as his fingers caressed the glittering cross she wore around it. She gasped lightly, ready to tell him to get the hell away from her, but she didn't. Instead, she simply looked at him. "I really don't think you believe that anymore, Faye," he quietly replied. As he withdrew his hand, he smiled and leaned forward. "Don't I get a good-bye kiss?"

Two seconds later, Meryl and Milly saw Vash stumble out of the room backwards and into the corridor, both of his hands clutched over his nose.

He laughed a little. "I guess that's a 'no'?"

Faye stepped into the corridor, her eyes narrowed on him. "I can keep hitting you until you're finally off of the ship."

Meryl shook her head. "He'll never learn when to quit," she sadly murmured.

He held up both of his hands, laughing again. "Oh, no. No need for that!" Before she knew it, Faye found herself trapped in Vash's embrace. "I shall miss you, my fair Faye!" he declared, a hand resting against one of her cheeks. "Please ... try not to shed_ too _many tears over our tragic separation?"

She stared at him as he grasped one of her hands into both of his as he bowed deeply before her. She felt him kiss the tops of her fingers, gingerly. _There really is something wrong with this man's brain. There** has **to be._

"It wouldn't have worked out between us, anyway," he added as he looked at her from his bowed position. "Seeing as how you're in love with someone _else_." He raised his eyebrows as he grinned knowingly.

She yanked her hand back. "_Get the hell out of here, you moron!_" The ferocity of her tone made him stand up straight. "Send us home, if that's what you plan to do!"

Vash backpedaled away from Faye as she shouted. He eventually stopped by Meryl and Milly. "She's not taking this very well," he told them under his breath. "The poor woman. She's heartbroken."

Meryl rolled her eyes. "We'll be waiting outside." She waved her last goodbyes to Faye and Ed.

"Good-bye!" Milly called out, waving. She grinned as Ed charged towards her then leaped into her open arms for one last hug. "Good-bye, Ed! I'll miss you!"

"Ed'll miss you, too, Milly!" She let go and dropped out of Milly's arms, landing on her feet. "Bye!" She waved as Milly followed Meryl down the corridor. "Bye-bye, Merry-Meryl!"

Vash leaned over, picked Ed up into his arms then whispered one last message in her ear. As he pulled back, he met her gaze, lifting an eyebrow as he waited to make sure she understood. When she nodded, he put her down and gave one last look down the corridor to Faye. That smile of his appeared again and he vanished around the corner.

Hands on her hips, Faye came up behind Ed. "What was all that about?"

Ed tipped her head back, grinning up at her. "I've got a secret! I've got a secret!" she sing-songed in reply.

Angered, Faye seized Ed by her shirt and lifted her off of the floor. "What did he tell you?"

Grinning even wider, she put up two fingers in Faye's face. "Love and peace!"

Groaning, Faye dropped Ed hard onto the floor. "That's all I need - _her _acting like _him_!" She headed for the bridge, shaking her head. She wanted to be there when this so-called 'solution' presented itself.

-

Jet stared at Vash when the man finished explaining what he wanted him to do with the ship. Is he serious? he thought, shaking his head. "Vash ... I've told you ... "he started.

"You'll know when it happens," Vash assured him. He pointed out the forward window, directing Jet's attention to the flickering lights in the northern sky. "Go in that direction."

Jet looked to Spike; he was as skeptical of the plan as Jet was. Faye, who stood just behind Spike, seemed more curious than skeptical.

"This_ will _work," Vash insisted as he approached Jet. He held the other man's gaze for a moment before adding, "_Believe_ me."

Jet bowed his head, unsure if he should risk the ship and possibly their lives on this wild scheme. If they were killed, it was on him. If they were stranded in space again, he was to blame. If -

"Just do it, Jet," Faye spoke up. She stepped past Spike as Jet turned to her. "What do we have to lose?"

After a tense silence, Jet looked to Vash. "I guess this is where we say good-bye."

Smiling, Vash surprised Jet by giving him a big hug. "Yes, it is!" He paid no mind to Jet's attempts to push him away. "You've been such a wonderful friend, Mr. Black!" His eyes glistened with tears, yet the smile remained. "I'll _never_ forget you!"

"Yeah, yeah." Jet managed to free himself from Vash's vise-like grip. _Damn, this guy's stronger than he looks._ "I won't forget you, either. How could I?"

Vash patted Jet's shoulder. "I'm just that kind of a guy!" He moved by Faye, giving her one more gracious bow then stopped in front of Spike.

"If you touch me, I'll blow a hole straight through you," he flatly warned.

"Aw! Is that any way to say good-bye to a friend?" He grabbed Spike into a hug, pinning the other man's arms to his sides at the same time. "I'll miss you all!" he sobbed into Spike's shoulder as he gave him a crushing hug.

Faye smirked as Spike tried to get Vash to let go. When he looked to her for help, she only folded her arms and shook her head. Payback was a bitch. _That's what you get for not helping me, you bastard._

Finally, Vash released Spike, not noticing the death glare Spike gave him as he straightened out his jacket. Backing away, he went on. "I hope you take away more than just the memory of me from this adventure, my friends!" Panic registered on his face when his feet tripped over something behind him. He landed flat on his back and stared up at the ceiling.

Ein's face appeared above him. The dog barked.

"You ruined my grand exit."

Ein merely licked his face.

Faye's hand went to her forehead as she sighed, "What an _idiot_."

-

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "Songs of Farewell and Departure" by Hum


	17. The Last Light

Chapter 17: "The Last Light"

-

"Are they ready to go?" Milly asked as the ramp rose up on the **Bebop**. Vash had finally joined them outside after nearly twenty minutes.

"You two need to leave town," Vash replied as though he'd never heard Milly's question.

"Leave? Why?" Meryl demanded.

He looked down on her. "It's not going to be safe here for any human being when this happens," he evenly replied. "I'll meet you outside of town ... when it's over." His eyes left her and settled on the running generator not far away from them.

"Not safe?" Meryl repeated as Vash headed for the generator. "Then why are you staying? What are you going to do? Vash!" She was yelling now but he only ignored her.

Milly placed a hand on Meryl's shoulder. "We should do what he wants, ma'am."

Meryl shrugged her hand off. "I'm not leaving without him. Vash!" He faded further into the distance. "Why does he _do_ stuff like this?"

"Because he's trying to help someone." Milly smiled as Meryl looked up to her. "Let's go. So he can help them."

Against her better judgment, Meryl left the ghost town of New Haven's Point with Milly. As they did, the engines of the **Bebop** roared to life once more. Both women stood riveted in place as they watched the spaceship lift from the ground, turn and begin its ascent to the stars. Each woman's face reflected the wonder and amazement they felt as they witnessed something very few on the planet had - an actual ship, flying away ... headed for something more than what Gunsmoke could offer.

"I hope they make it home, Milly," Meryl whispered as the ship became nothing more than a moving point of light in the sky.

"Mr. Vash will make sure they do. Trust him."

Meryl turned to Milly. "I do." She did more than place her own trust in Vash. A lot more.

-

The **Bebop** broke free of Gunsmoke's atmosphere and gravitational pull. Once he was roughly in the position Vash had given him, Jet placed the ship into an orbit of the planet. He sat back in his chair and stared at the black of space before him. From this perspective, there were no colorful lights, only whatever mysterious forces that caused them, hiding from the view of any man's naked eye.

Spike leaned against Jet's chair. "This fool better - "

"Spike," Jet calmly interrupted. He shifted his attention to the younger man. "Give him a chance."

-

Inside the main generator, Vash approached the bulb containing the plant who had agreed to sacrifice herself to help the crew of the **Bebop**. The being inside was a far cry from the one he'd found two days ago. This was a healthy creature, glowing brightly with a radiance equaled by none other.

He smiled a little as he placed his hands on the outer shell of the bulb, mirroring hers. He sensed her joy in seeing him again. He'd done the best job possible in repairing the generator, making the necessary alterations to the bulb so it would serve his purpose.

_**Are you sure you want to do this?**_ he thought as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

With a firm nod, she 'replied', _**Show me this ... freedom.**_

His smile came easier now. _**Close your eyes. You won't feel a thing. I promise.**_

-

"Ma'am?" Milly grabbed Meryl's shoulder, directing the small woman's attention back to the town of New Haven's Point. "The generator Mr. Vash went to ... look!"

Meryl's eyes widened as she stared at the town in the valley below them. The main generator glowed so brightly it illuminated almost half of the surrounding territory. The amount of energy it would take to produce that level of light, it had to push the plant to its limits. Despite knowing the dangers involved, she couldn't help but be amazed by how beautiful it was.

"If it keeps going, that generator will explode." Milly's hands balled into fists as she drew her arms close to her chest. Her eyes were wide, too, with fear and anxiety. "Oh no. Ma'am, what if Mr. Vash is still down there?"

Meryl took a step forward but Milly stopped her. "Let me go! I need to make sure he's all right!" Her eyes narrowed at Milly when the tall woman only shook her head. "Milly, let go!"

"We told him we would stay out of town, no matter what."

"I don't care!" she snapped as she fought Milly's grasp.

-

Inside the generator, the amount of heat and energy being produced cause numerous gaskets and gauges to explode as they exceeded their tolerance levels. The glow of the plant itself was blinding, the pain she felt from the stress and strain was minimal, though. Vash took it onto himself. His eyes were squeezed shut, his concentration on controlling the agonizing pain he absorbed from his sister as well as guide her to the breaking point.

Beneath his fingers, the glass of the bulb started to give in to the stress. Large cracks spider-webbed their way all over it. Soon, it would lose containment. If that happened before Vash was able to do what he had to, this would be a disaster. Half of the valley would vanish, along with anyone who was unfortunate enough to be nearby.

A flash of Meryl's face passed through his mind. He couldn't let her be harmed, not because of something he'd done. _No. I won't, Rem. I can't let her pay for my mistakes. Help ... me ... please ... Rem ..._

The woman's song filled his head, the sound of her voice bringing much needed calm and strength to his resolve._ I'm with you, Vash ... always ..._

Suddenly, his eyes flew open, a brilliant white hot glow in them as he stared into the red ones of his sister. The face, almost obscured by the intense energy she'd created so far, bore him one final smile.

**_I now know this ... freedom ... brother_**, she thought.

In the next instant, her form exploded into one last surge of energy. This was what he needed, what the **Bebop**'s crew needed, in order to open that portal. His eyes, still glowing, traveled up to the top of the bulb. As that burst of energy destroyed the last of the gauges monitoring the plant's output, his adjustment to the container itself kicked in. The narrow opening at the top popped free, sending a concentrated beam of glittering white, pure lifeforce straight into space. To those lights.

**_Good-bye, sister ... _**he thought as he watched the bolt of light penetrate the atmosphere of Gunsmoke. **_Thank you ..._**

-

Meryl gasped as the generator's top exploded, launching a beam of energy into the sky. She tipped her head back, her eyes full of wonder instead of fear as she followed it into the heavens. "Vash ... what did you do?" she whispered. Her hands went to her mouth, another gasp followed as she witnessed something truly spectacular.

Once the beam made contact with the space outside of Gunsmoke's atmosphere, another explosion of sorts occurred. Much like it had in the hyperspace tunnel back in the **Bebop**'s own time period, a swirling disc erupted out of the glimmering lights. The lights in the sky withdrew in on themselves after the portal's creation, as though whatever caused them was instantly eradicated.

"My ... God," she breathed as she shook her head from side to side, unable to take her eyes off of it. "My ... _God_ . What did you _do_?"

-

On the bridge of the** Bebop**, the sudden appearance of Vash's energy beam took the four members of the crew assembled there by surprise. On a subspace level, the beam interacted with something. Within a few seconds, all off them were forced to shield their eyes as the space in front of them flashed with an intense light.

As Jet brought his arm down, he couldn't believe what he saw before him - a portal, almost identical to the one that had brought them to this place over a month ago. _How did he -?_

"Jet! Vashy made us a swirly!" Ed jumped up and down in front of him, pointing out of the forward window.

Jet only nodded, his hands frozen on the ship's controls.

"How did ... "Faye stared at the portal then she looked over to Spike standing beside her. He was also stunned speechless by this achievement. "Will it take us home? Or pull us further into space? Or the future ... " she wondered, her gaze shifting back to it.

Spike shook his head. "Don't know," he replied, finally finding his voice. "Only one way to find out." Leaning over Jet, who remained enthralled by the portal, Spike slammed an open palm on the button which threw the **Bebop**'s engines into a full forward thrust.

The sudden jerk of the ship snapped Jet out of his daze. "Goddamnit!" His attention went back to flying the ship. He would deal with Spike later. If they even lived through this ...

A mix of emotions - fear, hope, anxiety, sadness - poured over Faye as the ship headed towards the shimmering portal. Without realizing it, one of her hands found its way to one of Spike's. She held onto it and didn't intend to ever let go. No matter what lay on the other side.

The **Bebop** was swallowed into the portal. As it had before, as soon as the ship passed through, it exploded grandly out of existence.

-

Down on Gunsmoke, lying on his back, staring at the glimmering spot in the sky, Vash, mentally and physically exhausted, managed a small smile. A moment later, the portal dissipated and left nothing but the black night sky behind, even the colors had vanished with it.

"See ... you ... space cowboys," he weakly whispered. With that, he lost consciousness, falling into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of the one who'd brought him this far in life. The one who gave him the determination to do what he'd done that evening.

_Rem ..._

-

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "The Last Light" by Rachel's


	18. The Return of the Space Cowboy

Chapter 18: "The Return of the Space Cowboy" 

Somewhere in the universe ...

The stillness of space was disturbed as a portal flashed into existence. Moments later, it tossed the spaceship **Bebop** forth and vanished almost immediately afterwards. The ship hung in space, silently waiting for something. Soon, the engines re-engaged on their own, the autopilot took over control of the ship's systems and the panels, only slightly damaged this time, blinked as the readouts at Jet's chair brought up information on their position in space.

Elsewhere on the bridge, the four members of the crew were spread out across the floor, unconscious. The only one awake padded across the floor and stopped by the ship's captain. Ein stared at Jet lying on the floor, just at the base of the pilot's seat. Whining, the Corgi pawed at him then barked.

Jet's eyes slowly opened. Ein stood before him, panting. Pushing up from the floor, he looked around the bridge then out of the forward window. As he hauled himself into his seat, he winced at the sharp pain in his side but concentrated on the computer readouts.

"Where are we?" he murmured, pressing his fingers to his temple. He banged his fist on the console and, finally, he had his answer. "We're ... back." According to the information before him, they were in the outer reaches of their own solar system - near Saturn, to be exact - but they were back.

Ein barked as Ed roused from the floor.

"Where are we?" she groaned as she stumbled over to Jet. Her eyes skimmed the console then she grinned. "Vashy sent us back!" Jumping into the air, she laughed. "Ein! Ein! We're hooooooome!" she sang.

Jet, on the other hand, wanted to know "when" they were. Sure, they were back in their own space, but were they still over a thousand years in the future?

Ed's singing and laughing woke Spike next. He lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. The ship's engines were running and, at least, Ed was alive and happy. He heard Jet muttering at the computers, cursing. He moved his left hand and found that it was clamped securely within one of Faye's.

"What the ..." he started. He looked down to find the woman lying across him, still unconscious. Propping himself onto one elbow, he shook his hand free of Faye's grip, wondering how that had happened. "So ... where are we?"

"We're back," he grumbled. "Not sure if we're in our own time yet. Ed - " He jumped a bit when the girl poppled up beside him. "Find out if you can connect to the Net."

"Yep, yep!" Ed saluted him and bounded off of the bridge. Ein followed her.

Jet glanced at Spike. "Is she all right?" he asked, meaning Faye.

Spike looked at Faye draped over his lap, her hair covering her face. Giving her a hefty poke with his finger, he said, "Hey ... are you alive?"

Jet shook his head. That wasn't exactly the way he'd have gone about it.

"Mmmm," Faye moaned as one of her hands vanished underneath the veil of hair to press against her face. "What?" she snapped when she felt someone poke her in the ribs. "What the hell's your problem?"

"You're on me. Again," Spike flatly replied. He lifted an eyebrow when Faye threw back her hair so she could see him. "Would you move? I've lost all the feeling in my legs, thanks to you."

Glaring at him, she placed one hand on the floor and the other in the middle of his right thigh. As she pushed herself up, she made certain to shift her body weight to her left arm, while grinding the heel of her hand into his leg.

"OW!"

She sat back on her heels then smirked. "I thought you'd lost all feeling in your legs? Liar." She rose to her feet and made it a point to step on his hand as she went to join Jet.

"Bitch," Spike muttered, flexing the fingers of the hand she'd smashed with her foot. Grabbing onto the nearest railing, he hauled himself to his feet and moved to the opposite side of Jet's chair. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Not far from the Saturn hypergate," Jet replied. He finished laying in the course for the gate and the ship responded by changing position. "It'll be a while before we're on Mars."

"But we're back?" Faye leaned on Jet's chair as she looked from the console to him. "Right?"

"Ed's working on that." He glanced over his shoulder when Faye turned on her heel and headed off of the bridge. "We're lucky to be in our own solar system," he murmured, looking up to Spike. "It would take a miracle to have us in our own time period."

Spike leaned against the chair, focusing on the space outside of the window in front of them. They were coming up on the hypergate. At least, whenever they were, the gates were still in use. "I don't believe in miracles, Jet."

"Do you believe in _anything_?"

Spike remained silent as he considered Jet's question. Before them, the hypergate opened, creating a controlled wormhole in space - the way back home. "Not for a very long time," he finally answered.

"Maybe you should start again," he suggested.

A moment later, the ship was swallowed by the wormhole.

-

Meryl used all of her strength to push open the metal door leading into the plant generator. None of the machinery worked since that bright bolt of energy had erupted from the generator almost thirty minutes ago.

"Ooof!" she grunted once she had the door open. She wiped an arm over her forehead, sighing. Her eyes widened as she surveyed the extensive damage done to the bulb. The plant itself was gone - no sign of the lifeform which had once powered this mysterious, old technology. No sign of Vash, either.

"Vash?" she called. Her feet gingerly found their footing on the debris- laden floor. She didn't see him anywhere. He couldn't have left, could he? He'd told them to wait for him outside of town. After a half an hour, he still hadn't shown. "Ow!"

She stumbled forward as she banged a shin on a fallen piece of metal. Rubbing her lower leg, she caught sight of something bright red - Vash's coat. Her pain forgotten, her heart leapt with sudden joy and hope. "Vash ... "she whispered. She scrambled over the detritus until she reached him. "Vash?" She dropped to her knees beside him.

Vash lay on his back, not far away from the cracked bulb, unconscious. From the looks of him, he'd sustained minor cuts to his face and neck. His gloved hands sported char-marks, as though he'd come into contact with an intense, concentrated heat. Meryl's gaze shifted away from him, to the bulb itself. There, she saw the faintest imprints of his hands on the glass.

_He was touching the bulb during that explosion?_ she thought, confused. _How is he not dead?_

Her attention went back to Vash. Maybe he was dead. Her lips pressed together, breath catching in her throat at the thought. Only one way to find out. Almost trembling hands made their way to his neck and pressed against the still warm flesh. After a moment, she sighed in relief when she detected the strong, steady beat of his heart.

"What were you doing in here?" she murmured as she grabbed him by the coat then shook him lightly. "Vash ... wake up!"

No response.

Using a newfound strength, she pulled his upper body onto her lap and cradled him as a mother would her young child. "Come on, I know you're alive." One hand gently patted his face. "Wake up, Vash. Dammit." She felt the tears sting her eyes. What if he was alive but in one of those mysterious sleeps? That was worse than him being dead. Tears splashed onto his coat as she doubled over and rested her head on his chest. Closing her eyes, she sniffled.

_Wake up, Vash. Don't leave me._

-

Vash stared up at the blue sky, one so amazing that he couldn't believe such beauty existed. The red petals of a flower fluttered through the air, adding a new design to the cloudless sky above him. He heard her voice - Rem. And the sweet song she'd always sang to him, the tune never failed to bring him inner peace.

"Did they make it?" he asked as he sat up on the grass. Rem was a few feet away, her back to him as she gazed up at the sky, humming her song. "Rem?"

The raven-haired woman looked over her shoulder. She smiled. "What do you feel in your heart, Vash?"

He drew in a deep breath, his gaze shifting from her to the lush, green valley below them. This was what Rem's planet was like, before humanity had destroyed it beyond repair. Did it still look somewhat like this in their time? He searched inside of himself for a few moments, trying to find the answer to his original question.

"They're alive," he said as he looked to Rem. He saw her smile broaden. "It worked?"

Rem faced him. She wrapped her arms around her legs as she drew her knees to her chest.

He remembered the plant who'd given herself to accomplish the task. Even though he'd left the decision to her, he couldn't shake that feeling of guilt. "Life was lost, Rem," he murmured. His chest tightened as the sadness overtook him. "I asked her to die ... to save them."

"She made a choice, Vash," Rem replied. Her smile became more sympathetic when he looked at her. "She knew the consequences - you were very clear."

"I know, but I ... "His eyes closed as he bowed his head. "I could've found another way. I ... should have ... "

Rem shifted her position so she was on her knees before him. One hand slipped under his chin and she tipped his head up until he looked her in the eyes. "She was no different than me." Her fingers caressed his face in a motherly manner. "There is no greater gift one can give than her own life. Your friends wouldn't have survived on the planet, you know that."

He sighed, not entirely comforted by her words. Choices were few, time was against him, he did what he thought was best.

"Her purpose was to sustain life." Rem's hand fell away from his face. "You've done nothing wrong. Nothing to feel this guilt over. You haven't let me down." She smiled again. "I'm very proud of you."

Vash watched Rem rise to her feet and turn around. "You're leaving me?" he anxiously asked.

"I'm always with you." She gave him one last look, her eyes full of that warmth and love she held for all living things. "Always."

-

Slowly, Vash's eyes opened. He blinked a few times, his gaze focused on the night sky visible above him. Rem was only a dream, as usual. She'd come and gone. He missed her more with each passing day. These occasional visits made it all the more difficult to deal with.

The sound of someone softly sobbing brought him fully back to reality. Lifting his aching head a bit, he found Meryl holding him in her arms, her face buried in his coat as she cried. One hand lifted and gently rested on the young woman's head. "Why are you crying?" he hoarsely asked.

Meryl's eyes opened yet she remained completely still when she heard Vash speak. He was alive. And awake. She sat up, looking down on him with wide, reddened eyes. Not only was he alive and awake ... he was smiling.

"Did someone die?"

Her surprise quickly melted into irritation. She narrowed her eyes as she let go of him. He slipped from her lap and fell back onto the floor with a light thump.

"Ow." He rubbed the back of his head. "What'd you do that for?"

The more he talked, the angrier she became. He acted as though he hadn't nearly died, hadn't scared her half to death. How could he be so ... ?

Jumping to her feet, she clutched her fists at her sides. "_What the hell is wrong with you_! Do you have _any _idea how much damage you could've caused by playing around with that thing?" She pointed to the cracked bulb. "I'm supposed to make sure you don't destroy anything! You could've killed us! Yourself! And ... and ... _who knows what else_!"

Vash propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes never leaving Meryl as she shouted at him. The power that little woman had behind her voice never failed to astonish him.

Milly had kept her distance for a while now. She'd followed Meryl into town when her supervisor insisted on finding Vash herself. Her heart sank when she came upon Meryl, cradling Vash's body in her lap as she softly sobbed into his coat. Yet, Mr. Vash was fine and looked upon Meryl with confusion, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong.

"So!" Meryl snapped, her hands on her hips as she glared at the baffled outlaw. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Moving into a full sitting position, Vash continued to rub his hand to the back of his head. He glanced up at Meryl who waited on him for an answer. Suddenly, smiling, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any of those donuts on you, would you? I'm_ starving_!"

Meryl stared at him, her jaw dropped open in stunned silence. He sat there, with that big, goofy grin on his face, wanting to know about ... _**donuts**_? Was he _**serious**_? That was all he had to say after almost killing himself? Letting out a cry of utter frustration, she turned away from him before collapsing onto the floor.

"Ma'am!" Milly rushed forward. She kneeled beside Meryl, patting the woman's face. "Ma'am, are you all right?"

Vash leaned over, then looked from Meryl to Milly. "Was it something I said?"

-

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "The Return of the Space Cowboy" by Jamiroquai


	19. You're Still In A Dream

Chapter 19: "(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream"

-

"Ed?" Faye entered the living area of the ship. She didn't see the kid right off but could hear her clicking away on her keyboard. "Where are you?"

"Here, Faye-Faye!" Ed tossed up her hands, revealing herself to the woman. She went back to clicking the keys, her goggled eyes remained riveted to the monitor.

"Did you find out where we are?" asked Faye as she leaned on the back of the couch, watching Ed do her magic on the computer. Even though she was happy to know they were in a familiar part of space, she was anxious about the time period. She was impressed they'd come this far ... but had Vash delivered the miracle he'd promised?

"In space!"

Faye rolled her eyes. "I know _that_ much. Are we where we're supposed to be in time?"

"Just a sec. Ed's a-lookin'."

Sighing, Faye rested an elbow on the back of the couch and propped her chin in her hand. She gave a quick side glance when Jet and Spike entered the room. "The whiz kid hasn't figured out if we're in the right time period yet," she reported. Her fingers drummed against her chin as she kept her eyes on Ed's screen.

Jet moved to the opposite side of the table, arms folded across his chest as he looked down on Ed. "We're on our way to Mars," he said as Spike sat down on the arm of the couch, near Faye. "It'd be nice to know if we're going to find anything when we get there."

"The gates are working," Faye sighed. "Someone's got to be around, Jet."

"Ed found something!" The girl yanked off her goggles and turned to Faye and Spike behind her. "Know when we are."

"So?" Faye stood straight. "When?"

Holding the computer up so they could see her screen, Ed declared, "**Bebop** is in the year 2081!"

"2081!" Jet turned the computer so he could see the screen for himself. There it was, right in front of him, the day stamp on a recently issued bounty from the ISSP: May 21, 2081.

"Ten years!" Faye stared at Jet who still held the computer. "Are you sure? We've lost ... ten ... years?" After Jet nodded, she groaned and fell over the back of the sofa, head hanging an inch from the cushion as she closed her eyes. "Not again!" She pounded her fists into the couch. "He said he could get us back! He promised!"

"Vashy did!" Ed hopped onto the couch, leaning over as she tried to see the woman's face. "Faye-Faye? We're home!"

Spike remained silent, rather stunned. Not so much over the fact they'd regained any time but that they were a mere ten years off from where they should be. The world changed so much in one year, how much had it changed in a decade? _Ten years. She's older. So is he. While I'm ... _His gaze dropped to his hands. _... the same_. He clenched them into fists. _If they're even alive ... if she is ..._

Faye let out a frustrated growl then stood straight, tossing her hair out of her face. "Ten friggin' years! This isn't fair! Why does this keep happening to me!"

"You're not the only one who lost a chunk of his life, Faye, so stop bitching," Spike coldly said, his eyes hard on the flustered woman.

"Spike - "

"Don't bother, Jet," Faye shortly cut in, glaring at Spike. "I'm leaving, anyway." She turned and headed out of the room, her jaw clenched tight. _Maybe **completely** once we get to Mars._

Spike scoffed as Faye stormed out. "She thinks everything is about_ her_."

"She's not the only one around here who believes that."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Think about it." After a few moments of waiting for it to dawn on Spike who he meant, he just shook his head then headed back to the bridge.

Ed peered up at Spike, raising an eyebrow. When he looked down on her, she turned to her computer, dropping the goggles over her eyes. Humming, she began to catch up on everything they'd missed in the last ten years.

"Ed?" Spike crouched down beside her on the floor, his hands clasped together in front of him, elbows resting on his knees.

"Aye?"

"Could you look up a few things for me?"

"What things?"

"People. Two of them."

She lifted her goggles as she turned to him. "Yep, yep. Ed can do it."

-

Two Weeks Later ...

Faye strolled into the bay where her ship, along with Spike's and Jet's, was in storage. It was quiet in here, as quiet as a place could get on the **Bebop** for all of the noise it made. She'd spent quite a bit of time here in the last two weeks, using it for reflection and contemplation. When she stayed in her quarters for too long, Jet showed up at her door, concerned. Here, she was out of her room and able to be alone.

She ran her fingers over the hull of her Red-Tail, looking up at it. She noticed flecks of red dirt on one of the landing gears. With a flick of her wrist, she brushed it away. The last remnants of Gunsmoke, proof that their adventure wasn't some bad dream, fluttered helplessly to the floor. With a sigh, she leaned against her ship, her eyes traveling around the bay. She used to consider this hunk of junk home. Not lately, though.

Since the day they'd returned, she and Spike had barely spoken four words to each other. He was more broody than before, too. He either sulked in the living area or he stared out of the window in some other part of the ship, with a complete absence of emotion in his eyes. She didn't know what the hell he was so torn up about - he'd only lost ten years of his life. She'd now lost sixty.

_I sure look **fabulous** for an 83 year old_, she thought with a weak smile.

The smile faded as she folded her arms across her stomach and tipped her head back so she could gaze up at the ceiling. Her mind went back to her sole quandary, the thing she'd wrestled with for two weeks: should she stay or should she go?

The loss of ten years was a benefit for her. Her creditors or anyone else wanting money from her more than likely wrote her off as dead. Then, she had no real idea what kind of Mars waited for them at the other end of the hypergate. Had it become as unlivable as Earth? From what Ed found on the Net, it didn't seem to be much different than before. Well, except for the fact that _The Big Shot_, the television show for bounty hunters, was no longer on the air. It was canceled not long after they'd disappeared.

Her mind wandered to the crew. Jet and Ed, she had no problem with. Spike ... Spike was the bad card in the hand she'd been dealt this time around. He'd never leave Jet. Unless it was about that damn Julia, he wouldn't. Other than that, he would remain.

But could _she_?

-

Down in the living area, Spike sat on the couch, his cigarette burning as it hung loosely between two fingers, his gaze locked on the images on Ed's computer monitor. The day they'd returned, he'd asked the girl to use her skills to locate two people - Julia and Vicious. As he stared at the results of that search, he rather regretted doing so.

Julia. The picture was exactly like the one he carried in his memory. Her beautiful face, her mysterious eyes, everything about the woman who'd haunted him for three years looked back at him from the screen, just as he remembered her. Underneath that phantasm, in bold red letters, was a single word: **DECEASED**.

According to the reports filed by the ISSP, she was murdered, on Earth, not long after the **Bebop** had vanished. Murdered. The authorities attributed it to one of the Syndicates, but they didn't know which one. He did, though. While he was trapped on that goddamn desert world in the future, Vicious dealt him one final blow. The worst. After almost two weeks of finding out the only woman he'd ever truly loved was dead, he still couldn't accept it.

This existence he found himself trapped in, it couldn't be a waking nightmare. This was Hell. A place of eternal torture with no hope for escape. In a dream, even in a nightmare, a person had the comfort of knowing it would soon end. Not in Hell. Not here.

His hand reached out and clicked one of the keys. Julia's face was replaced by Vicious' - a ten years aged Vicious'. He still had those cold, lifeless eyes. No amount of physical change could alter that feature about a man he'd once called a brother.

Unlike Julia, his enemy fared much better during his absence. A hostile takeover staged by Vicious placed him in charge of the Red Dragons. After a decade under Vicious' control, the Syndicate grew more powerful than they'd ever been in previous years. Other Syndicates crumbled. It was only a matter of time before he was an unopposed force in the criminal underworld.

He took a drag off of the cigarette which had mostly burned itself to ash in the last five minutes. Even though circumstances beyond his control had taken him out of the game, he blamed himself for the current state of affairs. For Vicious' stranglehold on everyone around him, for Julia's death, for all of it. Revenge, a cold, calculating revenge, was in order. One that would not only destroy Vicious but his whole goddamn empire.

Jet stopped in the doorway and kept silent when he saw what Spike was up to in there. He shook his head then watched the young man take another drag off his cigarette. Two weeks this had been going on. As though staring at the monitor would change anything. Dwelling on the past, forgetting the present even existed, that was Spike's specialty.

"If you're hungry - "he began as he stepped into the room.

"I'm not," Spike interrupted. He punched another button and Vicious disappeared from the screen. He glanced over his shoulder. "Is that it?"

Jet leaned against a railing, looking down on Spike. "You haven't eaten much in the last two weeks. You can't go on like this."

Spike flicked the ashes into the ashtray beside Ed's computer. "You're going to do something about it?" he asked, a certain amount of amusement in his voice.

"Starving yourself to death won't bring her back."

"I don't plan on dying, Jet, so you can stop worrying." He ground out the cigarette and laid back on the couch, closing his eyes.

"Killing him won't change it, either."

"No. But it'll make me feel better." In truth, it wouldn't do anything for how he felt. It just needed to be done. His hands folded together and he rested them on his stomach. "You remind me of Vash these days. All of this non-violence bullshit."

"Maybe it's not bullshit, Spike."

"We're not on his backwater planet. We're in _our_ world now." His eyes opened and stared at the ceiling above. "Ours is an existence without mercy or compassion. You'd better readjust yourself or you'll end up just as dead as she is."

"No."

He sat up, looking back to Jet. "No, what?"

"If anyone here will end up dead, it's you." Jet turned and left the room. If Spike wanted to continue on his downward spiral to self-destruction, he wouldn't get in the way. Everyone made their own choices in life. Spike had the right to make his, even if they were the wrong ones.

Spike stared at the doorway for a minute after Jet had left. Jet Black had changed on Gunsmoke, that much was certain. Vash's influence remained, strongly affecting his reactions to everything. If the old Jet didn't return, he'd be useless as a partner. At least, before their trip, he could trust Jet with his life. Nowadays, he wasn't so sure.

Faye stopped suddenly after she'd entered the room from the other corridor. She wanted to run before Spike saw her. Too late. Her hesitation gave him the chance to look over the back of the couch. Her gaze averted and she hurried through the room, headed for the door Jet had just passed through.

"How do you do it?"

She froze in the doorway when she heard Spike's question. A hand rested on the doorframe, then she dared to look over her shoulder at him. "Do what?" she asked, keeping her voice low. She'd attempted cold but that hadn't worked. The expression on his face automatically softened some of her anger towards him.

"Losing a piece of your life." He paused, the image of Julia's face pushing its way back into his conscious mind. The pain was almost too much to bear. His life was easier before her, before she'd made him care about something. "How do you deal with that?"

Her gaze drifted away from him and settled on the floor as she thought on his query. She couldn't remember her family, that made it easier. As for the loss of time, the absence of memory was also a plus. She'd carved out a niche for herself in three years, made a life that she could remember, found a place to belong, and then stupidly fell in love with the wrong man.

She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his again. "I just move on, Spike," she softly answered. Swallowing, she felt the lump in her throat growing. She managed to get out of the room before the tears fell. After taking ten labored steps, she leaned against the wall for support.

_I can't stay here_, she thought as she wiped her fingers over her eyes, sweeping away the tears before they could fall to the floor. _I can't ... I can't ... _Her eyes closed as she rested her head against the cool metal of the wall. _I can't leave, either ... for all of the reasons that I can't stay ..._

-

More To Come ...

Song Title Used: "(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream" by My Bloody Valentine


	20. Full Circle

Chapter 20: "Full Circle" 

Two Months Later

"He's getting away!" Faye skidded to a halt at the end of entrance to the alley, her gun gripped tightly in both hands. She looked to Spike, who peered around the corner on the opposite side of the alley entrance. "This is _your_ fault! If you hadn't insisted on chatting with him instead of, oh, _catching_ him? What the hell were you two talking about, anyway?"

Spike ignored her. He wanted to find Paul Saverem as much as she did, but not for the same reasons. He knew this man. He was from the old Red Dragon regime, a one time ally and associate of his own, and one of the few who'd survived Vicious' takeover. Saverem had been with them, the ones who'd murdered Julia. Time to pay him the same kindness.

"Are you _sure_ he went this way?" Faye leaned forward to take a look around her own corner. A bullet ricocheted off of the wall, sending a chip of brick into her face. Scowling, she dabbed her fingers at the blood now running down her left cheek.

"That would be 'yes'." He moved to her side of the alley. Another bullet pinged against the wall but missed him completely. Carefully, he looked around the corner, making himself a less obvious target than Faye had. He saw Saverem, gun drawn, throwing worried glances to the other end of the alley, away from where Spike and Faye were located. What was down there? What was so important that he felt the need to stop and shoot at them?

Minor wound forgotten, Faye pressed her back against the wall as Spike kept an eye on their bounty head. He practically leaned on her. Her thoughts drifted away from the 10 million woolong bounty the ISSP had issued for Paul Saverem and to _other _things ...

_Remember, you're here for money. Money **only**. You **need **the money!_

Her head turned until she didn't look directly at him. She wished he'd do whatever he planned to so she wouldn't have to feel the warmth of his body and breathe in the smell of cigarettes mixed with that godawful cologne he'd taken to wearing lately.

Spike pulled back the hammer on his gun as he watched Saverem step out from behind the Dumpster he used for cover.

Faye looked down when she heard the click and watched Spike raise his gun. "_What are you doing_?" she whispered. "He's worthless if you kill him!"

He aimed at the man's head. "He's already worthless," he murmured. _Good- bye, Paul_, he thought as the image of Julia entered his mind again.

"No!" Faye shoved Spike back. "_Don't_!"

Aim thrown off when he'd fired, Spike's bullet missed Saverem's head and struck the man in the calf of his left leg. Saverem cried out, dropping his weapon as he fell to the ground, grasping his leg. "_Goddamnit_! You son of a bitch!"

Spike pushed Faye aside and ran down the alley, loading another round into the chamber so he could finish Saverem off before the man reached his own gun.

"Spike!" She bolted after him. _What the hell's gotten into him? He's **crazy**!_

Saverem lifted his head when he saw Spike's shoes appear before him. His left hand clutched the nasty, but not potentially mortal, gunshot wound in his leg. His lunge for his gun was a waste of time. After Spike kicked it across the alley, Saverem was helpless.

Spike slowly brought up his gun, pointing the barrel about an inch away from Saverem's forehead. He wouldn't miss, not this time.

"No! Spike!" Faye sprang forward and her body slammed his against the trash Dumpster with a loud clang before he could fire his gun. Her victory was short-lived, however.

"Get _off_!" He seized her by her hair and used it to force the woman to her knees. Once she was down, he let go and focused his attention on Saverem. He saw that fear in the bastard's eyes. The terror. _Was this how she looked ... before **you** pulled the trigger?_ he wondered.

"We thought you were dead," Saverem said, shaking his head. When he'd encountered Spike nearly ten minutes ago, he couldn't believe his eyes. Ten years, no one had heard a thing about him. Here he stood now, though, alive and not a bit older than when Saverem had last seen him.

"I _am_ dead," Spike coldly responded. He raised his gun once more but didn't pull the trigger. The click of Faye's gun stopped him.

She glared at Spike down the barrel of her own gun, pointed at the side of his head. "I don't know what your problem with this guy is, Spike, but I'm not letting you lose us a 10 million bounty."

He looked at her without turning his head. Her eyes narrowed at him as she more than likely tried to decide if she could actually shoot him. "This isn't about a bounty, Faye. It never was," he murmured. He saw the surprise on her face, accompanied with confusion. "This is about revenge."

"Revenge?" Faye glanced at Saverem. His fear was gone. He seemed to accept the fact that Spike meant to kill him. "What are you talking about?"

"_He_ knows. That's all that matters."

She placed herself between Spike and Saverem, her gun lowering to her side. "I want more of an explanation than that if I'm gonna lose 5 million woolongs, goddamnit. _What_ revenge?"

"We followed our orders, it wasn't personal," Saverem said, speaking to Spike. "We found her on Earth. She was looking for you."

Faye raised an eyebrow as she glanced from Saverem to Spike. She? With Spike, there's only one 'she'. _That must mean ... _Suddenly, everything made sense. Spike's broodier than usual behavior, his weird question several weeks before about how she dealt with losing things she cared about. The mysterious Julia was ... dead. Apparently, the man behind her was one of those Spike held responsible for it.

"You only did as you were told. I remember using the same excuse, Saverem." His finger curled around the trigger. "You can't hide behind that anymore."

"I'm not the same person I was back then," Saverem replied, a hint of desperation in his tone. He saw no change in Spike's expression. "You really think you were the first, or the last, to leave?" He laughed. "You were just more clever about it than the rest."

"What, are you trying to tell me_ you've_ left the Syndicate?"

Faye side-stepped as Spike moved closer to the other man. She knew about his sordid past but seeing him confront it in this manner was always surreal. Like that day in the church with Vicious ...

"Why do you think there's a bounty on my head? Saves Vicious the trouble of using his own people to hunt me down. You cowboys do it. After I'm in the custody of the authorities ... "Saverem trailed off. "Stop me if _any _of this begins to sound familiar to you, Spike."

He stared at Saverem. It was a tactic the Syndicates sometimes employed. The reasons behind it, using bounty hunters as their search teams, they varied. Paul Saverem was a man who knew _too _much. A definite liability to Vicious's empire if he actually did leave the Syndicate. Whatever those reasons of Saverem's were, Spike didn't give a damn. The bastard was still responsible in part for what had happened to her. He deserved to die.

"Well .." Spike said after a full minute of silent contemplation. "Lucky that I found you instead of someone else." He cocked his gun once more. "Unlike Vicious, I have no interest in torture. I only plan to kill you."

"Spike, you can't do this," Faye started but she was shoved back by him. "You're going to shoot someone in cold blood?"

"It won't be my first time." He brought up the gun and prepared to finish off Julia's murderer.

"Daddy?"

Spike's finger backed off of the trigger when he heard a little girl's voice. The three of them turned towards the direction in which her voice had originated. Not far away, the girl, about 8 or 9, with bright blue eyes and long, jet black hair, stood with a boy, maybe two or three years her junior. Her hands clutched tightly to the boy's shoulders as her eyes flicked between Spike's gun to Spike himself.

"Ramona, take your brother and leave! Go back to your mother!" Saverem ordered. He lifted a hand but it was covered in his own blood. That didn't do anything to alleviate the girl's anxiety.

Her lower lip trembled as she looked from her father on the ground back to the man with the gun. "Daddy, aren't you coming with us?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat.

"Take Kevin and _go_. Do what I tell you!" He didn't like yelling at her but he would rather her not bear witness to this.

"Who are they?" Spike asked, still staring at the two children.

"My daughter ... and my son." He looked to Spike, noting the surprise on his face. "Yes. A lot's changed in ten years. For the better, in my case."

"They're ... _yours_?" His gun dropped completely to his side. This was something he never could've prepared himself for. Paul Saverem, one of the deadliest killers for the Red Dragons, one of its most loyal associates gave up full allegiance to them for ... two kids?

"I couldn't keep them a secret forever. They're why I left. Surely _you _can understand that?"

Spike looked down on him. The fear he'd seen in the man's eyes earlier, it wasn't for himself, it was for them. They were why he chose to stop in this alley. The mother, whoever she was, must've been nearby as well. He glanced up at the rooftops of both buildings then back to Saverem.

"You don't need to worry. I'm not going to kill you in front of your kids." He side-glanced at Faye. "Take them back to their mother."

Wide-eyed, she looked at him. "You think _I'm _involving myself in this? Hell no, Spike. You want to blow this guy's head off, that's your business. _You_ get rid of the kids if you don't want'em to see you do it."

"No!" Ramona darted forward. She slung her arms around her father's neck as she fell to her knees beside him. "He's not bad anymore, mister! He doesn't hurt people now! He's good!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Don't kill him! Please, don't!"

"Ramona," Saverem began.

Spike gazed upon Saverem's daughter, a conflict of emotions growing inside of him. One portion demanded retribution for Julia. Another part was swayed by the girl. She'd done nothing wrong, yet she had no idea of what wrongs her father had perpetrated on others. His finger hovered over the trigger as he tried to decide what to do.

"He won't hurt anyone again, mister," Ramona whispered after the lengthy silence from Spike. "I _promise_. Please ... I promise you, he won't."

His eyes closed. Julia's image began to fade from his mind. Then, for some reason, he recalled Vash. The peace-loving fool from the yet-to-be- discovered planet of Gunsmoke. He would let Saverem go. But would he, even if he were in Spike's position? What man could turn his back on avenging the death of someone he loved more than life itself? What man could give up the chance to even the score and still be able to sleep at night? Who could do that?

"Go."

Faye's eyebrows shot up when Spike finally spoke. Had he just said ... ? After nearly putting a bullet in this man's head, Spike was going to let him leave? She hadn't expected the girl's pleading to have any effect on him.

"Wh-what?" Saverem couldn't believe it either. "Did you ... "

Spike's eyes opened as he pointed his gun at the baffled Saverem. "I said 'go'. Take your kids and get the hell out of here. Hope that you never see me again, Paul. Should that day come, I _will _kill you."

"Come on, Daddy. I've got you." Ramona used all of her strength to help her father to his feet. Once he was up, she looked back to Spike. "Thank you, mister." She offered a grateful smile through happy tears. "_Thank you_!"

"Don't thank me. Thank a man named 'Vash'." He gestured towards the boy. "Go. Now."

As they hobbled away, Ramona took one last look over her shoulder at the man who'd almost killed her father. She felt so very sorry for him. He had a terrible sadness in his eyes, a sadness she'd seen in her own father's eyes at times over the years. What awful things violence did to people, what pain and sorrow it caused. It almost took one of the people she loved the most away from her. Then and there, Ramona vowed to instill a strong sense of peace into her children and those of her brother. They would have a very different kind of life - not like the ones her father and this other man had led.

_A man named ... Vash_, she thought as her brother stepped in to help her with their father. _Vash ... sort of a nice name._

Faye watched Saverem and his children disappear around the corner. She sighed, relieved but disappointed that she was out 5 million woolongs. At the very least, Spike hadn't killed the man. That was worth something, wasn't it?

Spike stared at ground. Part of him found it amusing. So amusing, in fact, that he laughed aloud.

Faye turned to him. "What's so funny?" she demanded. "I don't find what just happened here funny, Spike." When he kept laughing, she narrowed her eyes. "Stop it."

He turned, surprising her when he grabbed her by the upper arms. "What else can I do!" he asked. "That peace-loving idiot _finally _got to me, Faye!" He shook his head when she only stared at him as though he'd lost his mind.

"What's wrong with you?"

His hands slipped down her arms, the laughter subsiding. "Everything ... nothing ... "He tucked the gun back into its holster underneath his jacket. "Let's go back to the ship."

Faye eyed Spike as he shoved his hands into his pockets, bowed his head and walked by her. A moment later, she heard him whistling a rather melancholy tune. Sighing, she tucked her own gun away and hurried to join him. Just as she'd suspected, things were back to the way they used to be. The same old, same old.

Some things, no matter what, never changed.

And, sometimes, they did.

-

The End ... or is it?

Song Title Used: "Full Circle" by Loreena McKennitt

-

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this story. I was terribly antsy about posting it, and I almost didn't but my beta reader talked me into it. Hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

I have a sketchy outline for a sequel fic, too. If enough people are interested in seeing the adventure continue, I'll definitely break out the pen and paper and do the story. Some folks were probably disappointed that none of the _Trigun_ villains made it into "The Real Gunsmoke Blues", but one will make an appearance in the sequel, as well as _Cowboy Bebop_'s chief villain, Vicious. So, if you're up for more, drop me an email or say something in a review. I can't give you an estimate on delivery, unfortunately.

Thanks again!

Net Girl


End file.
